Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 33

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Social Contexts Of Development In Natural Outdoor Environments: Children’S Motor Activities, Personal Challenges And Peer Interactions At The River And The Creek, Cara Megan King Mcclain Dec 2017

Social Contexts Of Development In Natural Outdoor Environments: Children’S Motor Activities, Personal Challenges And Peer Interactions At The River And The Creek, Cara Megan King Mcclain

Masters Theses

This study examined the influence of spending time outdoors on young children’s physical and socioemotional development. We observed preschoolers’ activities in two naturally provisioned outdoor environments over the course of one year. Eleven preschoolers were videotaped continuously for 16 days at a local river and 9 days at a creek adjacent to the school. In addition to the quantitative analyses of children’s behaviors, a case study of three children’s experiences over the course of the year was conducted. Both the river and the creek settings encouraged a multitude of physical and play behaviors with similar types of affordances, including flat …


Developing A Platform For Integrating Disability Issues Into City Municipality Decisions; Case Study: City Of Knoxville, Sravanthi Pamu Dec 2017

Developing A Platform For Integrating Disability Issues Into City Municipality Decisions; Case Study: City Of Knoxville, Sravanthi Pamu

Masters Theses

The People with Disabilities (PWD) & Senior Citizen (SC) are isolated from the mainstream society, and they face several barriers in everyday life. There is no communication platform for them to express their concerns, in turn, participate in the city municipality policy decisions related to PWD- & SC-friendly city development. The purpose of this research is to integrate disability and senior citizen issues in the city of Knoxville to the city council decisions. The comprehensive literature search is done to identify the frequently mentioned disability and age-friendly city factors. An effective survey was designed to identify the issues in collaboration …


A Case Study Of A Mature Appalachian Hiv Negative Homosexual Man On Hiv Positive Homosexual Men, Jacob Lee Nelson Aug 2017

A Case Study Of A Mature Appalachian Hiv Negative Homosexual Man On Hiv Positive Homosexual Men, Jacob Lee Nelson

Masters Theses

Because of the lack of study, little is known about how members of the gay community immersed in rural areas relate to one another especially relative to the AIDS Crisis and those gay men living with HIV (Eldridge, Mack, & Swank, 2008). The purpose of this study was to investigate features of attitude (fears, threats, preconceived notions, and convictions) of a mature HIV negative homosexual man from rural Appalachia on HIV positive homosexual men (Thurstone, 1928). The central research question asked was, “How do you relate to HIV positive gay men as a HIV negative gay man having been raised …


The Roles Of Attention, Awareness, And Memory In Evaluative Conditioning, Katherine Anne Fritzlen Aug 2017

The Roles Of Attention, Awareness, And Memory In Evaluative Conditioning, Katherine Anne Fritzlen

Masters Theses

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is learning that occurs when a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly paired with a valenced unconditioned stimulus (US) such that the CS takes on the valence of the US. In the current investigation we were interested in investigating the combined and individual effects of attentional resources and contingency awareness on implicit and explicit EC using a disguised conditioning paradigm. We orthogonally manipulate participants’ awareness of the contingencies and attentional resources in an EC paradigm. We found mixed evidence for the necessity of higher order resources for EC. Neither orthogonally manipulated awareness nor attention had an effect …


Infant Object Recognition: Two- And Three-Dimensional Visual Processing, Alexandra Chelsea Romano Aug 2017

Infant Object Recognition: Two- And Three-Dimensional Visual Processing, Alexandra Chelsea Romano

Masters Theses

Visual attention and recognition memory in infancy are highly dependent on the type of stimulus the infant is familiarized to and the conditions of familiarization. For example, in studies that initially exposed infants to test stimuli in laboratory settings (e.g., Courchesne, Ganz, & Norcia, 1981; Reynolds & Richards, 2005), the Negative Central (Nc) event-related potential (ERP) component associated with infant visual attention has shown greater amplitude for novel compared to familiar stimuli. Conversely, when initial stimulus exposure occured outside of the laboratory and the stimulus was highly familiar, studies have shown greater amplitude Nc to familiar compared to novel stimuli …


The Mediating Role Of Social Preference In The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality And Peer Victimization, Kathryn Francis Smeraglia Aug 2017

The Mediating Role Of Social Preference In The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality And Peer Victimization, Kathryn Francis Smeraglia

Masters Theses

Teachers are integral to cultivating healthy relationships among students (Cortes & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2014) and are uniquely positioned to affect change in social processes that maintain victimization (Newman-Carlson & Horne, 2004; Rodkin & Hodges, 2003). Evidence suggests that children with supportive teacher-student relationships have more positive social and behavioral outcomes (Thijs & Verkuyten, 2008;), whereas teacher-student conflict may place children at risk for victimization (Reavis et al., 2010). In this study, we examine the relation between teacher-student relationship quality (TSRQ) and peer victimization (PV), TSRQ and social preference (SP), and whether SP is one mechanism that explains the link between TSRQ …


Examining The Effects Of Frustration On Working Memory Capacity In An Emerging Adult Sample, Jonathan Parks Fillauer Aug 2017

Examining The Effects Of Frustration On Working Memory Capacity In An Emerging Adult Sample, Jonathan Parks Fillauer

Masters Theses

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with numerous pejorative outcomes in adults such as low frustration tolerance and deficits in central executive functioning. The present study aims to examine (1) the effect of induced frustration on working memory capacity (WMC) and (2) the unique contribution of ADHD symptoms and other commonly comorbid disorders (i.e., anxiety/depression and alcohol use) to frustration. Participants (N=66) were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=32) or the experimental group (n=34). The Frustration Induction Procedure (FIP) was administered to participants in the experimental group and a neutral, non-frustrating task was administered to a control group. A …


Effects Of Attachment And Self-Esteem On Perceptions Of Infidelity In Gay Men., Shannon R. Bierma Aug 2017

Effects Of Attachment And Self-Esteem On Perceptions Of Infidelity In Gay Men., Shannon R. Bierma

Masters Theses

Research indicates that infidelity is one of the primary reasons for relationship dissolution. There are several theories surrounding cheating behavior, but none around how one perceives these acts. Attachment theory and self-esteem have previously been used to explore infidelity in straight populations, but minimally in gay populations. Additionally, cheating behavior and perceptions of cheating have been extensively investigated in straight relationships, but have not been explored in gay relationships. The current study looked to develop a measure to assess perceptions of cheating in gay males, and examined how attachment and self-esteem impacted these perceptions. Participants were 150 males with a …


Effects Of Low Dose Mixtures Of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone And Cocaine On Locomotor Activity And Brain Monoamine Content In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Robert J. Kohler Jun 2017

Effects Of Low Dose Mixtures Of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone And Cocaine On Locomotor Activity And Brain Monoamine Content In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Robert J. Kohler

Masters Theses

Synthetic cathinones, known as “bath salts” on the illicit drug market, pose a significant and growing public health concern. 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), one of several popular constituents of the illicit bath salts, produces similar pharmacological actions to cocaine, albeit with greater potency. The present study sought to characterize behavioral and neurochemical effects of repeated exposure to MDPV alone and in combination with cocaine. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: 1 mg/kg MDPV, 5 mg/kg cocaine, 1 mg/kg MDPV + 5 mg/kg cocaine, or saline. Locomotor activity was assessed for one hour immediately before and one hour …


“The Cracked Pots Of Humanity”: Post-World War Ii American Literary Perspectives On Psychiatric Treatment/Containment Of Mental Disorders, Jennifer Chichester May 2017

“The Cracked Pots Of Humanity”: Post-World War Ii American Literary Perspectives On Psychiatric Treatment/Containment Of Mental Disorders, Jennifer Chichester

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which characters in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and The Bird’s Nest, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces grapple with the concept of “madness” on individual and societal levels. Each of these Post-World War II novels question whether “madness” is a social construct. Is the person mad, or is society? These three novels, written in an era when inpatient psychiatric care was losing its prominence as a method for treating those deemed insane, reflect the growing trend of deinstitutionalization in the 1950s …


The Relationship Of Hypnotizability And Empathy: A Replication And Extension Study, Morgun Elliot Custer May 2017

The Relationship Of Hypnotizability And Empathy: A Replication And Extension Study, Morgun Elliot Custer

Masters Theses

A recent research article articulated the Empathic Involvement Theory of hypnotizability (EIT; Wickramasekera II, 2015). The theory holds that individual differences in hypnotizability are correlated with, and in part determined by, the capacity to empathize. I review the theory and the founding empirical study (Wickramasekera II & Szlyk, 2003) and detail our attempt to replicate these findings in our laboratory. We did not obtain statistically significant relationships between empathic ability and hypnotizability. I discuss these findings, the ramifications on the proposed empathy/hypnotizability question, and the larger agenda of whether hypnotizability connects with personality.


The Effects Of Feedback Modality On Performance, Garrett D. Warrilow Apr 2017

The Effects Of Feedback Modality On Performance, Garrett D. Warrilow

Masters Theses

Giving employees information about their performance is a common method for employers seeking to improve or change performance. With the popularity of the internet and computers feedback today is often provided through emails, text messages, and video meetings. While feedback has continued to evolve within and across organizations little has been done to assess the impact its delivery through various modalities has. This study explored and evaluated the relationship between the modality which objective feedback is delivered, and the differential effects it produced on performance of a check entering task. This experiment was a laboratory study employing a between-group repeated …


Perceptions Of Body Image Among College Men, Colton David Janes Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Body Image Among College Men, Colton David Janes

Masters Theses

This study sought to better understand what influences male body image perceptions among college men attending a mid-sized Midwestern university. A qualitative research approach was utilized to better establish a better understanding on how college men construct their body image perceptions. Nine male undergraduate students in their third year or greater participated in one-on-one interviews. These participants self-identified as a member of a single-gender student organization including a social Greek letter fraternity, university athletic team, and/or other student organization(s) on-campus. Results of this study revealed that one of the most influential forces of body image perception among participants was the …


I Could Have Been You: Core-Self Differentiation As It Relates To Empathy And Aggression, Nazmi Cem Turker Jan 2017

I Could Have Been You: Core-Self Differentiation As It Relates To Empathy And Aggression, Nazmi Cem Turker

Masters Theses

Previous research showed that the more one feels similar to a specific other, the less aggressive and the more empathic one behaves toward the other. Some people might have a self-concept that makes them prone to feel similar to others in general. Those people, despite being aware of the differences between them and others, may feel that their differences do not make them inherently or essentially different from others -they may feel their core-self is similar to others despite outer differences, while some may not feel as much so. This tendency was conceptualized as a trait related to one's self-concept …


The Bystander Intervention In Bullying Survey: An Examination In An Elementary School Sample, Kirsten Taylor Jan 2017

The Bystander Intervention In Bullying Survey: An Examination In An Elementary School Sample, Kirsten Taylor

Masters Theses

Researchers and school administrators have recognized the importance of peer bystanders in bullying situations, but there are very few studies that examine this phenomenon within Latané and Darley's (1970) bystander intervention model. The five sequential steps in this model include: notice the event, interpret the event as an emergency that requires assistance, accept responsibility for intervening, know how to intervene or provide help, and implement intervention. Nickerson, Aloe, Livingston, and Feeley (2014) created the Bystander Intervention in Bullying Survey based on Latané and Darley's model. Nickerson and colleagues and Jenkins and Nickerson (in press) have found evidence of reliability and …


Teacher Characteristics And Influence With The Bystander Intervention Model, Morgan A. Eldridge Jan 2017

Teacher Characteristics And Influence With The Bystander Intervention Model, Morgan A. Eldridge

Masters Theses

Bullying, both traditional and cyber, have been associated with several negative outcomes for students, and teachers have been identified as potential targets for prevention and intervention of bullying occurrences. The importance of bystanders has been recognized; however, there are few studies that examine personal characteristics that relate to the five bystander behaviors within the Bystander Intervention Model (notice the event, interpret as an emergency, accept responsibility, know what to do, and act). This study examined personal characteristics (e.g., affective empathy and perceived level of bullying seriousness) and their relation to each of the five steps of the Bystander Intervention Model …


Predictors Of Bullying Role Behavior In Preschool, Kristen Kocher Jan 2017

Predictors Of Bullying Role Behavior In Preschool, Kristen Kocher

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.


Construct Validity Of The Teate Depression Inventory With A Black African American Sample, Samantha Rushworth Jan 2017

Construct Validity Of The Teate Depression Inventory With A Black African American Sample, Samantha Rushworth

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity of a new measure of depression, the Teate Depression Inventory (TDI), with primary focus on the Black/African American participants. Research has demonstrated that Black/African Americans experience disparity in receiving mental health care for internalizing disorders, partially due to under-detection of symptoms. Detection of internalizing disorders is an important step in receiving appropriate treatment. This research is essential to benefit mental health practices, addressing the need for professionals to be culturally competent and aware of the appropriate assessment tools available. In order to best serve ethnic minorities, validity of measurements …


The Effects Of Belief, Gender, And Setting On A Psi Task, Alan Jeffrey Hinman Jan 2017

The Effects Of Belief, Gender, And Setting On A Psi Task, Alan Jeffrey Hinman

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to explore how the variables of belief, gender, and experimenter effects regarding setting influence participants' results on a psi task. Small groups of research assistants and participants acted as senders and attempted to telepathically transmit one of four target locations to individual receivers. Sender and receiver groups were divided by gender, and answered a question on a seven-point scale regarding their belief in the existence of mental telepathy. One run of 16 trials was completed by 53 receivers over six data collection sessions, utilizing a new website designed for the task. It was hypothesized that …


The Effects Of Religious And Body-Related Affirmations On Disordered Eating Attitudes And Body Dissatisfaction, Cassandra A. Vogt Jan 2017

The Effects Of Religious And Body-Related Affirmations On Disordered Eating Attitudes And Body Dissatisfaction, Cassandra A. Vogt

Masters Theses

The relationship between disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and religion is complex. Previous research demonstrated that religious body affirmations are beneficial in reducing body dissatisfaction among undergraduate females. Because previous research used affirmations which were simultaneously religious in nature and related to the body, it is difficult to determine if the religiousness of the affirmation is the beneficial characteristic. The current study investigated which type of affirmation had the strongest effect on disordered eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction. More specifically, the five experimental conditions included: religious body affirmations, religious non-body affirmations, non-religious body affirmations, non-religious non-body affirmations, and neutral control statements. …


Associated Factors Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis, Rong Xia Jan 2017

Associated Factors Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis, Rong Xia

Masters Theses

During the past 20 years, posttraumatic growth has been recognized and emphasized to promote physical and psychological health after life-threatening events. There has also been an increasing number of individual studies on posttraumatic growth and its associated factors. However, it still remains unclear whether and how these relationships are facilitated. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the important associated factors of posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic stress, event centrality, emotion regulation, and religious or spiritual coping and their actual relationships with posttraumatic growth were examined along with some potential moderators. Results from 56 studies (N = 20,132) …


The Relationship Between Beliefs About Suffering And Well-Being, Rebekah Bambenek Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Beliefs About Suffering And Well-Being, Rebekah Bambenek

Masters Theses

Suffering is a common human experience, and is a common underlying feature in those seeking psychological services. Throughout history, philosophy and religion have addressed the subject of human suffering directly, albeit in varying ways. The clinical practice of psychology also seeks to help alleviate suffering in those who seek services, yet the academic study of suffering has been overlooked. Academic psychology has examined the phenomenon of beliefs, and has studied various beliefs and their effects for decades. The present study sought to bring suffering into the academic discussion by examining beliefs about suffering and the well-studied variables of subjective and …


On Solid Ground I Stand: Narratives On Disclosure, Resilience, And Faith Amidst Recognition Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Wade Rhodes Dundee Jan 2017

On Solid Ground I Stand: Narratives On Disclosure, Resilience, And Faith Amidst Recognition Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Wade Rhodes Dundee

Masters Theses

Childhood sexual abuse seems to be a hidden secret in American society; one of the famous, "If we don't talk about it, it won't happen" narratives. However, we know this is not true. Both the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (2012) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2005) state one in four girls and one in six boys will fall victim to sexual abuse before they celebrate their 18th birthday. There is a high probability that because of the alarming lack of disclosure of male survivors, these statistics could be incorrect and could hinder creating or allowing for conversations …


Utilizing Incentives To Increase Teacher Praise, Kari L. Meyer Jan 2017

Utilizing Incentives To Increase Teacher Praise, Kari L. Meyer

Masters Theses

An ABA single-subject research design was used in examining the effect on school staff's written praise and student behavior when staff were provided with an incentive (i.e., would an incentive raffle increase written praise and appropriate student behavior?). Participants included 93 staff members and 755 students at an elementary school in central Illinois. School staff members were instructed on the importance of using praise, and praise notes were measured on a weekly basis by praise type (behavior-specific or general), staff member type (core teacher, non-core teacher, or non-teacher), and student type (at-risk or non-at-risk). Results indicated that the faculty incentive …


"My Tattoos Make Me, Me": Constructing Personal Identities Through Tattoos, Ryan Howard Jan 2017

"My Tattoos Make Me, Me": Constructing Personal Identities Through Tattoos, Ryan Howard

Masters Theses

The following thesis consists of a research project that seeks to understand how individuals construct personal identities through tattoos. The thesis contains background information on why the author has a personal connection and interest with the subject. The thesis also includes a review of the literature that informs the readers about the origins of tattoos, historicization of tattoos, cultural appropriation and commodification, motivations for tattooing, tattoos and the body, and identity construction. There is also a methods section that explains how the author utilized the interviewing process to gather and conduct research in the field to answer the research question: …


An Analysis Of General Education Teachers' Use Of Diverse Praise, Shelby L. Beschta Jan 2017

An Analysis Of General Education Teachers' Use Of Diverse Praise, Shelby L. Beschta

Masters Theses

Teacher praise is a strategy that effectively reduces student disruptive and off-task behavior. Although teacher praise has been studied for more than five decades, most research has looked at general and behavior specific praise. There may be other aspects of praise, beyond specificity, that could inform consultation. Examining teachers' diverse use of praise may inform how to maximize this strategy and improve upon teacher training. The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers' diverse use of praise could be measured. Once it was determined, the data were analyzed to determine how many diverse praise categories teachers used on …


Helicopter Parenting Of College Students, Lindsey R. Pautler Jan 2017

Helicopter Parenting Of College Students, Lindsey R. Pautler

Masters Theses

Popular media often features stories about 'helicopter parenting' and asserts that this style is detrimental to youngsters (c.f., Fingerman, Cheng, Wesselmann, Zarit, Furstenberg, & Birditt, 2012; LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). However, few studies have examined the phenomenon empirically (Fingerman et al., 2012), particularly in a college population. The few existing studies of 'helicopter parenting' have evaluated different facets of this parenting style (e.g., intrusive parenting, inappropriate contact with school personnel), which makes comparing research results difficult. This paper discusses the literature on 'helicopter parenting' and discusses the initial steps in the development of a new comprehensive assessment of 'helicopter parenting' …


Psi Performance, Belief In Psi, And Competition In A Game-Show Format, Heather L. Warner-Angel Jan 2017

Psi Performance, Belief In Psi, And Competition In A Game-Show Format, Heather L. Warner-Angel

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to explore variables influencing psi performance including gender, belief in psi, and competition between men and women. Features of the experiment involved a methodology using a visual image of the receivers, simple spatial location as targets, and monetary incentive to increase competition in a game-show type of environment. One of the goals of this study was to explore the role of competition between groups of senders and receivers as a facilitator of telepathic communication. Results of a one sample t-test comparing overall hit rate for the sample with expected probability were not significant, t(98)= …


The Role Of Body Image, Dieting, Self-Esteem And Binge Eating In Health Behaviors, Neha M. Tamhane Jan 2017

The Role Of Body Image, Dieting, Self-Esteem And Binge Eating In Health Behaviors, Neha M. Tamhane

Masters Theses

Society’s obsession with an idealized thin body type has led to many individuals to seek several different, often harmful, methods to reach their body goals. Current research shows links between body image and self-esteem as well as that between dieting and binge eating-with many researchers finding that extreme dieting can lead to binge eating. The aim of this research was to assess the relationships between body image, dieting, binge eating and self-esteem to understand the ways these factors interact with each other. For this purpose, 60 female participants aged 18-26 years were recruited from Eastern Illinois University and asked to …


Physical Activity As A Context Cue For Object Location Memory, Alexandra Hammond Jan 2017

Physical Activity As A Context Cue For Object Location Memory, Alexandra Hammond

Masters Theses

The current study aimed to investigate the use of physical activity as a context cue for object location memory. Two studies are reported in which physical activity is used as a context for object location memory. Experiment 1 utilized a 1-list design, wherein 52 undergraduate students were asked to encode and recall 28 objects from a grid, while either walking or standing. It was expected that participants engaging in matching physical activities at encoding and recall would have significantly higher rates of recall for object locations when compared to participants in the non-matching physical activity conditions. Results did not support …