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Laboratory Measures Of Aggression In Methadone Patients, Catherine M. Gayman Dec 2012

Laboratory Measures Of Aggression In Methadone Patients, Catherine M. Gayman

Masters Theses

Research suggests that current heroin users and individuals with a prior history of heroin dependence tend to be more aggressive than nonusers. No study has yet investigated whether opioid withdrawal affects aggressive responses on a laboratory task. The present study investigates whether mild opioid withdrawal affects aggression in six males and six females (N=12) undergoing methadone maintenance therapy. Aggressive behavior is measured using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (Cherek, 1981) computer task. Participants press buttons to earn money towards gift certificates. Money subtractions occur periodically and these are attributed to the behavior of a partner who is actually fictitious. Participants …


Adolescents' Peer Status, Social Behaviors, And Social Information Processing For Social Behaviors, Michelle Wright Nov 2012

Adolescents' Peer Status, Social Behaviors, And Social Information Processing For Social Behaviors, Michelle Wright

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have conceptualized of two types of high peer statuses (i.e., perceived popularity, social preference), each associated with distinctive behavioral characteristics (Coie et al., 1982; Mayeux & Cillessen, 2004; Parkhurst & Hopmeyer, 1998). Perceived popularity is positively associated with both relational aggression and prosocial behaviors (Cillessen & Mayeux, 2004; Rodkin et al., 2000; Rose et al., 2004; Rubin et al., 1998). On the other hand, social preference is negatively related to relational aggression but positively linked to prosocial behavior (Rose et al., 2004). The social information processing model may provide a better understanding of adolescents’ unique behavioral characteristics as their …


The Forgotten Medium: The Impact Of Reading Violent Literature On Aggressive Thoughts, Mckay Robert Stevens Aug 2012

The Forgotten Medium: The Impact Of Reading Violent Literature On Aggressive Thoughts, Mckay Robert Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Media violence in television, film, video games, and music has been linked to increased aggression. Only in recent years have researchers begun to investigate the impact that reading violent literature can have on individuals. The present study exposed individuals to either a violent or nonviolent story and measured aggressive cognitions. No significant effect was found for story type on aggressive cognitions but a gender effect for aggressive word completions was found. Discussion centers on possible differences between media types as well as future suggestions for investigations into violent literature.


Regional Differences In Relational Aggression: The Role Of Culture, Katherine Amanda Czar Aug 2012

Regional Differences In Relational Aggression: The Role Of Culture, Katherine Amanda Czar

Dissertations

It is becoming increasingly clear that relational aggression has just as much potential to cause harm as overt verbal and physical aggression. Though the literature base on relational aggression is growing, far fewer studies have been conducted with late adolescents and adults as compared with children and early adolescents. Moreover, the role of culture in relational aggression has received limited attention. The current study aimed to examine the potential impact of one aspect of culture on relational aggression by focusing on North-South regional differences in the United States. Differing norms and expectations for social behavior between Northern and Southern U.S. …


Narcissism And Intimate Partner Violence: An Establishment Of The Link And Investigation Of Multiple Potential Mediators, Samantha K. Fields Aug 2012

Narcissism And Intimate Partner Violence: An Establishment Of The Link And Investigation Of Multiple Potential Mediators, Samantha K. Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) involves physical, psychological, and/or emotional violence within intimate (e.g., dating) relationships. In this thesis, I examined narcissism as a predictor of IPV. I used an offensive- and defensive-trait framework to come up with 10 potential mediator variables that often typify narcissism and underlie IPV. Correlation analyses confirmed the expected link between narcissism and IPV. Subsequent bootstrapping mediation analysis of IPV-frequency revealed significant indirect effects for 2 mediators - social dominance orientation and the hostile attribution bias-based tendency to retaliate in the face of ambiguous but potentially malevolent social interactions. Bootstrapping analysis of IPV-prevalence also revealed an …


Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested For Domestic Violence, Jeniimarie Febres Aug 2012

Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested For Domestic Violence, Jeniimarie Febres

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of batterer intervention programs at reducing future intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration is limited. Learning about perpetrators to more comprehensively address issues relevant to their aggressive tendencies could aid in the development of more effective treatments. This study examined the prevalence of adulthood animal abuse perpetration and its association with psychological and physical IPV perpetration, antisocial traits, and alcohol use in a sample of men arrested for domestic violence (N = 307). Forty-one percent (n = 125) of the men committed at least one act of animal abuse since the age of 18, in contrast to …


Social Status Differences In Hostile Attribution Biases And Reactive Aggression, James Davis Jul 2012

Social Status Differences In Hostile Attribution Biases And Reactive Aggression, James Davis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

A person's standing within a social hierarchy can have a pervasive influence on patterns of attribution,especially when presented with an ambiguous social provocation. Those with low social status are devalued by society and this sense of threatened social worth motivates social vigilance and influences patterns of social cognition and behavior. Integrating Attribution Theory (e.g., Heider 1958; Weiner, 1986} with predictions of Social Information Processing Theory (SIP;Crick & Dodge, 1994; Dodge & Pettit, 2003) and Stigma Compensation Theory (STC; Henry, 2009; 2011), this research suggests the possibility that status-based differences in hostile attributions and reactive aggression are mediated by threatened social …


Childhood Factors Affecting Aggressive Behaviors, Nicole Danielle Waddell May 2012

Childhood Factors Affecting Aggressive Behaviors, Nicole Danielle Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past there have been numerous studies regarding how childhood factors can affect adult behavior and attitudes. In the present study 124 East Tennessee State University students were given surveys. The surveys included items measuring demographics, parenting styles, and aggression. This study examined the impact of parenting styles on aggressive tendencies and perceptions the subjects have as young adults as well as the effects of socioeconomic status on parenting styles and aggression. The findings suggest that mid-level income families demonstrated more affection and less aggression to the subjects surveyed.


The Role Of Country Music In Homonegativistic Aggression, Alex Manuel Borgella May 2012

The Role Of Country Music In Homonegativistic Aggression, Alex Manuel Borgella

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study examined the relationship between exposure to country music and homosexual aggression. A total of 44 male and female participants (N = 23 and N = 21, respectively) filled out scales relating to attitudes toward homosexuality (Kite & Deaux, 1988), gender role beliefs (Kerr & Holden, 1996), and social conservatism (Henningham, 1996). Participants were then introduced to either a homosexual (N = 19) or heterosexual (N = 29) confederate and were exposed to either country music with patriotic and socially conservative lyrical content (N = 17) or pop music with neutral lyrical content (N = 27). Participants then ostensibly …


The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh May 2012

The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh

Theses and Dissertations

Research on family influences on adolescents’ aggression has revealed a relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ frequency of aggression. A recent cross-sectional study of these relations (Pugh & Farrell, 2011) indicated that maternal depressive symptoms had a significant relation with teachers,’ students,’ and mothers’ reports of adolescents’ aggression. This effect was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning. The cross-sectional designs used in previous studies examining relations between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ aggression make it difficult to draw clear inferences regarding the causal nature of this association. The present study used longitudinal data across five waves of data …


Neighborhood Disadvantage And Perceptions Of Neighborhood As Predictors Of Aggression In Urban African American Youth: A Multilevel Analysis, Edna Y. Romero May 2012

Neighborhood Disadvantage And Perceptions Of Neighborhood As Predictors Of Aggression In Urban African American Youth: A Multilevel Analysis, Edna Y. Romero

Theses (1 year embargo)

The link between aggression and criminal activity in urban, low-income African American neighborhoods has resulted in many studies examining the predictive role of individual and neighborhood characteristics in the development of aggressive behaviors. Factors such as neighborhood violence, poverty, perceptions of neighborhood danger have consistently been linked to poor behavioral outcomes in urban youth (Colder, Mott, Levy, & Flay, 2000; Sampson, Raudenbush, & Earls, 1997), whereas perceptions of neighborhood cohesion have been associated with reduced externalizing behavior in children (Silk, Sessa, Sheffield Morris, Steinberg, & Avenevoli, 2004). The purpose of this paper was to examine, through the use of multilevel …


Effects Of Violence On Youths' Perceptions Of Peer And Sibling Aggression, Jessica Houston Apr 2012

Effects Of Violence On Youths' Perceptions Of Peer And Sibling Aggression, Jessica Houston

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The present study examined the relationship between youth exposure to violence in the home and community and their perceptions of the acceptability of aggression in interactions involving peers and siblings. The importance of the context in which the violence occurs was investigated, as well the ability of parent-child attachment to buffer the effects of violence on aggressive attitudes. A diverse sample of 148 children, ages 9 to 14, completed measures of interparental, parent-child, and community aggression, as well as a measure of mother-child attachment. Youths also rated the acceptability of aggressive interactions between two peers and two siblings in written …


Comorbidity Of Psychopathy In Schizotypy: Skin Conductance To Affective Pictures, Kathleen A. Ragsdale Jan 2012

Comorbidity Of Psychopathy In Schizotypy: Skin Conductance To Affective Pictures, Kathleen A. Ragsdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior research substantiates a relationship between psychopathy and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, which has begun to elucidate why some individuals with schizophrenia are violent. Unfortunately, this relationship has been limited to self-report. To objectively corroborate this finding, undergraduate students were recruited from an online screening administration of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. This resulted in 56 participants (52% male) with a mean age of 20.37 (SD = 4.74) and a wide range of schizotypy scores who participated in the experiment. Following completion of self-report measures, participants viewed 15 pictures (five neutral, five threatening, and five of others in distress) from the International Affective …


The Impact Of Ptsd On Veterans’ Family Relationships: Mechanisms Of Distress And Available Treatments, Adam D. Lamotte Jan 2012

The Impact Of Ptsd On Veterans’ Family Relationships: Mechanisms Of Distress And Available Treatments, Adam D. Lamotte

Senior Projects Spring 2012

When veterans return home from war with PTSD, the disorder can have detrimental effects on their close family relationships. Researchers have proposed different mechanisms underlying the distress experienced by partners and children of veterans with PTSD in the hopes that these mechanisms can be targeted in treatment. The purpose of this project is to review and synthesize the current literature on these mechanisms of distress, as well as the treatments that have been designed to address them. This review examines several key factors that account for veterans’ relationship distress, including the important factors of intimacy and aggression. Due to the …


Relational Aggression: What Does It Look Like And How Does It Feel For Girls With Language-Based Learning Disabilities?, Christine M. Barbone Jan 2012

Relational Aggression: What Does It Look Like And How Does It Feel For Girls With Language-Based Learning Disabilities?, Christine M. Barbone

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the context and occurrence of relational aggression in adolescent girls with learning disabilities, as described by their personal experiences and observations. A discussion of psychosocial adjustment and relational aggression with respect to the unique characteristics of children with learning disabilities will be presented. This study will provide a qualitative description of the social problem solving skills of children with learning disabilities as reflected in their responses to common social scenarios.