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Religious Coping After Natural Disaster: Predicting Long-Term Mental And Physical Health In Survivors Of Hurricane Katrina, Monica Arkin

Graduate Masters Theses

Natural disasters are increasing with regards to both frequency and severity (CRED & UNDRR, 2015; NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 2020). Exposure to natural disasters, in turn, increases the likelihood for the development of adverse mental and physical health outcomes (Augustinavicius et al., 2021). Religion and spirituality is an accessible form of coping that many people turn to during and after natural disasters, and may be especially valuable to those who face barriers to accessing mental health treatment or may not feel served by formal mental health institutions (Abu-Raiya & Pargament, 2015; Bryant-Davis & Wong, 2013). However, there …

Linguistic Variation From Cognitive Variability: The Case Of English 'Have', Muye Zhang

Linguistics Graduate Dissertations

In this dissertation, I seek to construct a model of meaning variation built upon variability in linguistic structure, conceptual structure, and cognitive makeup, and in doing so, exemplify an approach to studying meaning that is both linguistically principled and neuropsychologically grounded. As my test case, I make use of the English lexical item ‘have' by proposing a novel analysis of its meaning based on its well-described variability in English and its embed- ding into crosslinguistically consistent patterns of variation and change.

I support this analysis by investigating its real-time comprehension patterns through behavioral, electropsychophysiological, and hemodynamic brain data, thereby incorporating …

The Effects Of A Behavior Analytic Social Skills Group On School-Aged Children's Social Skills In A Classroom Setting, Rebecca A. Anderson

Honors College Theses

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit skill deficits in several areas. One of those areas is social skills. Social skills are very important for development and learning. One common intervention to increase social skills in children with ASD is social skills groups. Social skills groups use the principles of the science of behavior to teach various social skills effectively and efficiently to children with ASD. A common setting where children’s social skill deficits increase is in classroom settings. The purpose of this study was to implement a social skills group intervention in a classroom setting to increase social skills …

The Effects Of Cannabidiol And Analgesic Expectancies On Experimental Pain Reactivity In Healthy Adults: A Balanced Placebo Design Trial, Martin De Vita

Dissertations - ALL

Experimental pain trials have been unable to determine whether cannabinoid analgesia is attributable to intoxication, analgesic expectancies, and/or pharmacological action. One approach to resolving this issue involves testing the effects of analgesic expectancies and cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, on human pain reactivity using a balanced placebo design. Despite its frequent use for pain relief, no experimental research has tested the analgesic effects of CBD in humans. Using a within-subjects 2 x 2 balanced placebo factorial design, we experimentally tested the effects of CBD and expectancies for receiving CBD on pain reactivity (i.e., pain threshold, tolerance, intensity, unpleasantness, conditioned pain …

Benzodiazepine Use And Dependence In Relation To Chronic Pain Intensity And Pain Catastrophizing, Emma Carnes Lape

Theses - ALL

Benzodiazepines (BZDs), a class of sedative-hypnotic drugs, are at the center of an emerging prescription drug crisis. From approximately 1995-2015, overdose deaths involving BZDs quadrupled and average dose equivalents more than tripled. Specific concern has centered on elevated rates of BZD use among individuals with chronic pain, given that BZDs are generally not indicated for pain management. Consistent with negative reinforcement and motivational models of substance use, desire for pain alleviation may be a salient motivator of BZD use, particularly as individuals commonly report using BZDs for negative affect alleviation. The present study tested cross-sectional associations between pain intensity and …

Exploring The Therapeutic Effect Of Children's Picture Books, Yunfan Chen

Theses - ALL

This thesis discusses the phenomenon of left-behind children in China amid the country's urbanization, revealing the psychological state of these children in the countryside.

In this thesis, some psychological research sources have proven how picture books relieve children's emotions and attain therapeutic effects on children's psychology. Then, this thesis analyzes two examples of children's books depicting how picture books help children to manage their negative feelings and having a therapeutic effect on the child.

This thesis claims that bibliotherapy through children's independent reading of books can effectively alleviate left-behind children's negative emotions.

Perceived Stress Of College Students During Covid-19: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Kristina Morreale

Honors Theses

ACEs are adverse childhood experiences experienced in the first 18 years of life. They are present in over a third of the population and lead to adverse health outcomes (Karatekin, 2017). The goal of this study was to examine whether ACEs could be used to identify stress levels of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on ACEs and stress levels were collected from students actively enrolled at a college or university (N= 183). Findings indicated that high ACEs were predictive of high stress, specifically considering stressful factors experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study suggest the …

Personality Dimensions Of Male And Female Law Enforcement Recruits Related To Academy Success, Chantel Duda

Honors Theses

Research has found that male and female law enforcement recruits complete academy training at different rates, with female recruits typically completing at lower rates than male recruits. While the literature on the topic demonstrates a variety of training characteristics that explain some of the difference, it is possible that typical personality differences between men and women play a role in some of the unexplained disparities in academy passing rates. This study attempted to discern differences between personality characteristics among male and female academy recruits using survey data from two major metropolitan law enforcement academies. It was hypothesized that male cadets …

Behavioral Patterns Of Goldfish (Carassius Auratus) Exploring A “Fish Tower”, Sasha Prasad-Shreckengast

Theses and Dissertations

Fish are held in captivity at some of the highest numbers of any taxa, but their curiosity is rarely studied. With this study, we set the groundwork to investigate the presence and nature of curiosity in goldfish (Carassius auratus) via novel free-choice exploration opportunities by creating a “fish tower."

Rad Managers: Strategic Coaching For Managers And Leaders, Audrey Mika Kinase Kolb

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Objective: Managerial coaching is a nascent area of research; as such there are few models supported by independent inquiry endorsing their effectiveness in impacting employee outcomes. The purpose of the current investigation was to present a concise, practical model of managerial coaching (RAD: relationships, accountability, development) that can be used for teaching and evaluating coaching behaviors. The model was hypothesized to predict ratings of coaching effectiveness (CE), perceptions of supervisor support (PSS), occupational self-efficacy (OSE), and work engagement (WE). Further, each factor of the model was tested in a series of secondary hypotheses to determine which factors were …

A Qualitative Study On Black East Asian Women And Their Experiences Of Hypersexualization, Kalya Castillo

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

While the adult multiracial population in the United States accounts for approximately 6.9 % of Americans, current growth trends suggest that numbers will triple within the next 40 years. Evidence suggests that Asian multiracial and Black multiracial groups are emergent racial categories, yet little research exists on dual minority populations. Premise for this qualitative study stems from my prior research on Black Asian American identity development that revealed an emergent theme of hypersexualization experienced by Black Asian American women. This study explored how Black Asian American women experience hypersexuality and the resulting impact on their identity development. Utilizing a constructivist–interpretivist …

The Attraction Of Fear And The Potential Therapeutic Value Of Horror Films, Mari-Peyton Kouchinsky

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Cinematic horror has historically had a negative reputation among its peers even though it is a genre that commercially and financially thrives. There are many different perspectives as to what motivates an individual to willingly expose themselves to horror movies, ranging from psychological and metaphorical confrontation with repressed or socially unacceptable behaviors to fulfilling a somatic, thrill-seeking desire. Whatever the motivation, there is potential for harnessing both the psychological and physical reactions for therapeutic intervention. This paper aims to provide counselors with a synthesis of information on the potential therapeutic value of cinematherapy with horror movies, focusing on the relationship …

The Impact Of Insufficient Sleep And Early Class Start Times On U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Health And Performance, Stephanie Osborn

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Emerging adults face a set of unique obstacles that combine to make getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night a challenge. Internally, adolescents and young adults have a biologically based tendency to go to sleep and wake up later. Externally, they may participate in scheduled activities that wake them up early or keep them awake late. One primary obligation that can contribute to short sleep duration in students is early class start times. Emerging adults attending a civilian college may benefit from the ability to set their bedtimes and class schedule. However, their same-aged peers attending a military …

A Call To Create: Poetry As Healing And One Nurse’S Self-Discovery, Kim Cornett Henry, Kim Cornett Henry

English Theses

Florence Nightingale’s vision for nursing has changed greatly in the past one hundred and fifty years, with nursing’s identity replaced with an emphasis on science over caring. The fast-paced, technologically sophisticated environments, designed to meet the declining health of an American public, have resulted in nurses who are being pulled away from nurse-to-patient caring acts and the reasons they felt called to become nurses. These changes have had detrimental psychological and emotional effects on nurses and are especially evident in Intensive Care nurses. Expressive writing as poetry, autoethnography, and participation in vibrant writing communities offer nurses experiences for healing, voice, …

Relational And Social Aggression: A Scoping Literature Review, Angela Fidazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School violence is an omnipresent problem within the United States, at worst, resulting in the death of children and teachers across the nation. Over time, numerous strategies and tools have been introduced in order to reduce aggression within schools. However, as both overt and covert forms of aggression contribute to school violence, it is necessary for researchers to investigate covert, indirect forms of aggression as a way to better identify and prevent a salient contribution to this problem. Although much research has investigated bullying in general, further research is needed in better understanding the forms of covert bullying, relational and …

Does Speech-To-Text Assistive Technology Paired With Graphic Organizers Improve The Written Expression Of Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries?, Kayla Cuifolo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can range from mild to severe and can cause debilitating outcomes that require children to need specialized medical or educational services post-injury. Outcomes vary and are dependent on the location of injury, age, severity, and environmental factors. Some common deficits that happen as a result of a brain injury are fine motor and executive functioning skill difficulties. Fine motor and executive functioning skills are an important component of written expression. Therefore, this current study utilized a brief experimental analysis in order to determine the effects that speech-to-text assistive technology along with a graphic organizer has …

The Effect Of School-Based Mindfulness Intervention On Student Attention And Executive Function: A Meta-Analysis, Sarah E. Rea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools are facing increasing responsibility to foster the social-emotional development of students. One way in which schools can improve student functioning is through school-based mindfulness interventions. Using mindfulness practices, in particular, can teach students to increase their attention of surroundings and internal experiences, and awareness of their thoughts and behaviors. While the evidence-base for mindfulness interventions in schools continues to grow, there are several studies that show promising outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine how large the effect sizes for school-based mindfulness studies are in regard to increasing student attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Results indicate …

Culturally Therapeutic Approaches To Prejudice And Discrimination: Formulations, Interventions, And Structural Change, Jayme J. Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aims. Though psychologists are generally well-positioned to implement micro- and macro-level interventions from their roles as clinicians, educators, researchers, and consultants, there is a paucity of formal guidance on how to approach client-generated or structural prejudice and discrimination. The current study addresses this literature gap by integrating previous literature and implementation models from a related field toward a novel treatment approach.

Background. A critical literature review supported intervention-focused conceptualizations of “supremacism” and demonstrated that mutually reinforcing micro- and macro-level discrimination generates demographic disparities in safety, liberty, and well-being. This typically emerges in the United States as White supremacist heteropatriarchy while …

Young People More Optimistic About Climate Crisis, Syed U. Haq

Capstones

This is story on how the youth today is feeling more ambitious about rectifying the mistakes the previous generation has made regarding climate. It takes the reader through a poll done by Generation Lab, about the optimism in the younger generation to tackle the climate crisis and what factors are in play in making them feel that way. It also provides three brief audio pieces from student activists, Anna Kathawala, from the local Fridays for Future, Mars Vazquez-Plyshevsky, who comes from a family of climate deniers, and Aderinsola Babawale, a local activist with Brownsville Green Justice. And of course, their …

Using Prompt Delay And Instructive Feedback To Teach Pretend Play Skills To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Gabriella R. Van Den Elzen

Theses & Dissertations

Pretend play involves carrying out routines, acting out roles, referencing absent or imaginary properties of objects, or substituting one object for another. Pretend play skills emerge in typically developing children by preschool age but are often absent or delayed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the present study, we evaluated use of prompt delay, instructive feedback, and prompt delay with instructive feedback for the acquisition and maintenance of pretend play skills with children with ASD. Throughout training, we conducted free-play probes to evaluate generalization to a naturalistic setting. The results of the current study suggest that combining the …

Pushing It To The Limit: Determining Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) Olfactory Sensitivity And Discrimination Through A Behavioral Choice Task, Matthew S. Rudolph

Theses and Dissertations

Elephants have shown remarkable olfactory capabilities. Their sense of smell impacts their foraging choices, behavior, and ultimately, survival. Being able to detect a target odor can allow elephants to locate specific resources, identify threats, and find receptive conspecifics. Previous studies have shown that elephants can consistently detect target odors, but have not identified the limits of this detection. Thus, to investigate the extent of elephants’ odor detection capabilities, we tested Asian elephants in a two-step odor discrimination task. First, we investigated whether elephants could detect odors at varying levels of dilution after a training procedure, and then whether they could …

The Influence Of Comorbid Gad On Er Utilization In Urban Youth With Asthma, David A. Karpe

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature indicates a strong association between asthma and the early onset of comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in minors and their primary caregivers. Studies show that asthma prevalence increases with certain demographic factors, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and housing quality. Evidence also suggests that GAD influences decision-making, especially when deciding to utilize emergency room (ER) services for asthma-related concerns. This study analyzed the effect of comorbid GAD on minors with asthma and ER utilization. The data were provided by an earlier Stress & Justice Study (S&J) baseline survey, an investigation aimed at understanding the impact of parental criminal …

Unpacking Political Identity In First-Time Voting Christian Women: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Mary Grace Golden

Honors Theses

As political science tends to focus on polling and statistical analysis to examine individuals’ voting behaviors, the reasoning behind constituents’ decision-making process is often left in the dark. This is particularly true in first-time voting women who come from religious backgrounds that uphold complementarian gender values. This study focuses on the following research questions: How do women experience their political identity in relation to their gender identity? How do women experience their political identity in relation to their religious or faith identity? How do women experience their political identity in relation to voting for the first time? I answer these …

An Examination Of Nurses' Schedule Characteristics, Recovery From Work, And Well-Being, Sarah Elizabeth Van Dyck

Dissertations and Theses

Recovery from work refers to the replenishment of energetic and affective resources depleted while meeting job demands, predominately conceptualized as a process that unfolds throughout the day. This study examined the shift work schedule demands presented by round-the-clock patient care needs on health care providers, and potential recovery opportunities during mid-shift meal and rest breaks. The cross-sectional data were collected via electronic questionnaire among registered nurses (N = 134) working in direct patient care roles in 24-hour healthcare organizations in the Northwestern United States (91.0% female-identified; mean age = 45.3 years). The main effects of adverse scheduling characteristics common …

Moderate Prenatal Ethanol Exposure, Sex, And Housing Modify Spatial Navigation Behavior And Hippocampal Cell Firing In Adult Rodents, Christy Magcalas

Psychology ETDs

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with structural and physiological changes that impact the central nervous system and can result in persistent negative consequences in a broad spectrum of cognitive and behavioral domains including deficits in spatial learning and memory and behavioral flexibility. The current study focuses on examining the behavioral and mechanistic consequences of PAE, sex and housing. Rats were tested in the Morris Water Task where they were trained to navigate to a goal location and tested in a pool shift manipulation. There were no significant differences between PAE treatment, sex, or housing groups during training, but there …

Recognizing The Unique Needs Of Women With Varied Pregnancy Loss Histories, Shalini Venkat

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Infertility is associated with psychological distress; women who experience miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage experience additional grief and trauma. Unfortunately, available psychological interventions for infertility are of limited efficacy; a new intervention is therefore needed. However, little is known about the psychotherapy preferences of women with infertility, and particularly whether miscarriage history is associated with treatment preferences. Thus, the current study evaluated the psychotherapy preferences of women with infertility as a function of miscarriage history. 410 North American women were recruited to complete an online survey assessing their quality of life, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and preferences of 14 psychotherapy techniques endorsed …

On Arousal And The Internal Regulation Of Brain Function: Theory And Evidence Across Modalities And Species, Ryan Raut

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The brain is an organ. It is subject to the same physiological regulatory processes that engage the rest of the body’s organs, sculpted over hundreds of millions of years to sustain life so effectively. The central message of this thesis is that the holistic functioning of the brain, rather than operating at some level above or independent from these systemic regulatory processes, is deeply related to them. In short, as our limited attention spans might suggest: brain function is internally regulated. I propose that this internal regulation is a primary function of intrinsic brain activity. Chapter 2 provides a theoretical …

Evaluating Recognition Memory Models From An Individual Differences Perspective, Kyle Gramer Featherston

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although recognition memory models have been thoroughly compared in various recognition memory paradigms, the relative reliability and validity of their parameters have not been thoroughly assessed using an individual differences approach. In two studies, I evaluated three models: the dual-process signal detection (DPSD) model, the continuous dual process (CDP) model, and the unequal variance signal detection (UVSD) model. In Study 1, participants performed a remember-know procedure that also included confidence ratings. When model parameters were estimated twice in the same individual, both key parameters from the DPSD model were reliable within an individual, whereas the CDP version of familiarity was …

Examining Individual Differences In Forgetting From Long-Term Memory, Christopher Lee Zerr

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forgetting reflects the decreased likelihood of memory retrieval over time. With a few exceptions, although the mean likelihood of retrieval (or retention) across experimental conditions may differ markedly, rates of forgetting across those conditions do not differ. Similarly, although groups (e.g., young and old adults) may differ in the amount retained at a given point in time, the rates of forgetting tend not to differ across groups. In contrast, recent work suggests that individual differences in rates of forgetting may emerge when more sensitive statistical analyses are used on person-level performance. Some person-level variables purported to influence forgetting rate include …

Material Difficulty And Individual Difference Factors Moderate The Eyewitness Confidence-Accuracy Relationship, Wenbo Lin

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have shown that eyewitness confidence is positively associated with high identification (ID) accuracy, but some eyewitness researchers have expressed concerns regarding the reliability of this confidence-accuracy relationship in applied settings (e.g., are there circumstances or moderator variables that make this relationship less reliable?). For the present study, we considered two types of moderator variables: material difficulty (i.e., the difficulty level associated with different sets of eyewitness stimuli) and individual difference factors such as face recognition ability. Experiment 1 examined whether these moderator variables significantly impair the confidence-accuracy relationship and Experiment 2 examined whether these same moderator variables equally …