Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Connectivity Of Eeg Loreta In Cortical Core Components Of The Self And The Default Network (Dnt) Of The Brain, Rex Lee Cannon

Doctoral Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Recent research exploring cortical functional connectivity defines a default network (DNt) of brain function and activation of a core midline network (CMS) in the processing of self. The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in these components of the human DNt and CMS is not well understood. METHODS: This study was conducted with 63 participants. Individuals were recorded during eyes-closed (ECB) and eyes-opened (EOB) baselines and active task (AT) conditions (e.g., self-referential, self-image, self-concept, recent symptomology, other face and object processing). We estimated EEG source localization with standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Subjective experience was obtained for baselines and photographic conditions. …

Sociality, Cognition And Social Learning In Turtles (Emydidae), Karen Marie Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Turtles are little studied with respect to learning, cognition and social behavior in spite of being phylogenetically a central group. Populations of many species of these long-lived animals are declining due to commercial activities (pet trade and food), pollution, and habitat destruction. This integrative study of freshwater turtle (Emydidae) behavior investigated their sociality, individual learning and memory capabilities, and the ability of turtles to learn from others.

First, I studied turtle underwater social behavior which involved naturalistic observations and ethogram development of the underwater social behavior of (Family Emydidae) at the Chattanooga Aquarium. Turtle social behavioral repertoire and interaction sequencing …

A Comparison Of Attachment-Related Defenses And Ego Defense Mechanisms, Elaine M. Rivas

Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of ego defense mechanisms has been a central component of psychoanalytic theory since Freud and the repeated subject of psychoanalytic research. Attachment theory, originally formulated by John Bowlby as a radical revision of psychoanalytic views regarding the fundamental forces that drive our behavior, includes the concept of defensive processes, but so far these attachment-related defenses have not yet been the subject of research. The current study utilized attachment-related defense ratings adapted from the Adult Attachment Projective (AAP) and more traditionally defined ego defense mechanisms as measured by the Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM) in a sample of 90 college …

Optimism And Achievement: A Domain-Specific And Within-Construct Investigation, Salmaan F. Toor

Doctoral Dissertations

Academic optimism is the general tendency to expect positive outcomes in terms of personal, current and future academic experiences. Academic optimism is similar to general optimism with the exception of academic optimism’s focus on the academic life domain. The study investigated the psychometric properties of the newly constructed Academic Optimism Scale (AOS), as well as the relationships among academic optimism, general optimism, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in relation to academic achievement. The within-subject design included 292 college students at Time with 160 of those students returning for Time 2. At each time, participants completed a general optimism, academic optimism, self-esteem, …

The Effects Of Betrayal Characteristics On Laypeople’S Ratings Of Betrayal Severity And Conceptualization Of Forgiveness, Lee J. Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations

The two studies included in this project were aimed at understanding the effect that relational closeness has on perceived ease of forgiveness and betrayal severity and, in turn, how betrayal severity and relational closeness influence people’s conceptualization of forgiveness. Study 1 addressed the fact that although past studies have shown that relational closeness predicts one’s willingness to forgive and researchers have posited that betrayals that are committed by those closest are the most severe, it is still unclear whether these trends are due to the characteristics of close relationships or to the characteristics of the types of betrayals that are …

The Executive Coach And Clients In Reflective Practice: Levelising As A Special Case, David T. Duncan

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how my executive coaching clients and I engaged in reflective practice through a model of dialogical interaction called Levelising. Four individual coaching clients, representing a variety of management expertise, participated in this study. I engaged them in coaching by both inquiring into their experiences and reflecting on my own. Data consisted of verbatim transcripts from the coaching sessions, which were analyzed qualitatively using a structured, typological approach. Findings indicated that as my clients and I engaged in a reciprocal reflective process centered on the Levelising model, they experienced uncertainty along with insight …

Associations Of Behavioral Profiles With Social And Vocal Behavior In The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile Carolinensis), Ellen H. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

The research described here tested for relationships among behavioral consistency, personality traits, and communicative behavior in a socially and vocally complex avian species, the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). First, I tested for the existence of behavioral profiles, also known as non-human animal personality, across varying contexts (presence of predator, foraging within a novel object, and novel conspecific) in the laboratory. I found evidence for behavioral profiles encompassing behavioral patterns such as activity, affiliation, aggression, and boldness. Second, I incorporated a larger social component to these studies by testing birds housed in social groups in semi-naturalistic aviary settings. In …

Configurations Of Leadership Traits And Their Relation To Performance Ratings: A Person-Oriented Approach, Taylor Poling

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of traits has re-emerged in the leadership literature despite its checkered past. There is now ample evidence that a variety of individual traits consistently relate to leadership effectiveness. Nonetheless, enormous ambiguity remains regarding the patterning of these traits within leaders and the implications of the various interactions among traits. A major contributor to these issues has been the failure to examine these traits within their founding theoretical context, as elements operating simultaneously as a configural system within the individual. Thus, this study examines the configurations of leadership traits in a sample of middle and upper-level managers. The main …

Parsing Out Everyday Suggestibility: A Test-Retest Study, Nicole Perez

Doctoral Dissertations

The construct of “suggestibility” has garnered great interest in the field of psychology over the years. It has been invoked as an explanatory construct in social, clinical, and forensic psychology. Yet, the nature of the construct and of its factor structure is unclear. In earlier studies we operationalized suggestibility by measuring conformity, interrogative suggestibility, placebo effects, persuasibility and hypnotizability. There was no discernible factor structure obtained. Similar results were found when we narrowed our focus to sensory suggestibility. There was no cohesion among responsiveness to these types of suggestive situations by examining this phenomenon across eight sensory measures (tactile, auditory, …

The Role Of Physical Attractiveness In Adolescent Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Furr Webb

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the role that physical attractiveness plays in many aspects of adolescent romantic relationships, such as relationship longevity, relationship satisfaction, and power dynamics within the relationship. Three specific questions are examined in this project. First, is partner physical attractiveness associated with relationship satisfaction? Second, do adolescent couples who are well ―matched‖ according to physical attractiveness remain together longer that those who are not? Third, does the couple member who is higher in physical attractiveness have more power in the relationship?

To examine these questions, we used data collected from 99 middle adolescent and 106 late adolescent dating couples. …

Experiential Avoidance, Emotional Expression, And Psychopathology In Early And Late Adulthood, Sarah Marie Robertson

Doctoral Dissertations

Experiential avoidance (EA) is an unwillingness to remain in contact with private and overt experiences, with higher EA associated with increased psychopathology. This study investigated relationships among EA, age, and the use of emotion words in positive and negative autobiographical narratives, as well as whether EA was associated with depression, anxiety, quality of life, and social support. Participants included younger (n=60) and older adults (n=60), who completed a positive and negative emotion narrative task along with measures of psychopathology. Results indicated that relative to younger adults, older adults spoke for longer time intervals in both narrative conditions. EA did not …

Detection Of Malingering Via Cognitive Cues, Birgit M. Smart

Doctoral Dissertations

Malingering is a frequently encountered problem of faking psychological or physiological symptoms or exaggerating existing conditions for external gain. Malingerers typically are seen in clinical and forensic settings and create a burden to our society due to loss of economic resources or professional time. The impact of malingering is difficult to calculate due to problems with identifying actual cases of malingering. Psychological tests traditionally have been used in the assessment of malingering. Despite major improvements in instruments and clinical interviewing techniques, however, no failsafe assessment tool has been identified for the accurate detection of malingering. Cognitive studies of lie detection …

How Selected Personality Factors Affect The Relationships Between Marital Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, And Infidelity, Amanda Marie Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations

Although research has illuminated some differences between those who engage in sexual behavior outside of their marriage and those who do not, there is a lack of attention in the literature to complex interactions among variables in their relationships to infidelity. There is evidence that marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and personality are all related to infidelity but research has failed to investigate how personality may influence these other two variables in their relationship to infidelity. Thus, the proposed study explored possible effects that selected personality factors have on the relationships between marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and infidelity. The results revealed …

Examination Of The Clinical Benefit Of Adding Reversal Theory Concepts To The Expressive Writing Paradigm, Stephanie Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations

Expressive writing as a form of emotional disclosure produces many physical and psychological benefits (Pennebaker, 2004). Central to the present study are findings that expressive writing decreases symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Koopman, Ismailji, Holmes, Classen, Palesh, & Wales, 2005; Opre, Coman, Kallay, Rotaru, & Manier, 2005; Russ, 1992). Reversal Theory (RT) suggests that individuals experience the world from eight different psychological states including serious, playful, conforming, rebellious, mastery, sympathy, self, and other (Apter, 2007). Teaching individuals to be aware of and elicit these states also decreases depression and anxiety (Charat, 2006). The present study sought to determine if …

A Model Of Quality Of Life And Emotional And Behavioral Functioning In Obese Children And Adolescents, Terry Oliver Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

Review of literature indicates that obesity is on the rise nationally and obese individuals are at inherent risk for a variety of comorbid physical, psychological, and social problems which often result in significant functional impairment due to sequelae. Previous research suggests a meaningful association between obesity and greater internalizing difficulties typically manifested by symptoms of depression and anxiety (Faith, Matz, & Jorge, 2002; Scott et al., 2008; Stunkard, Faith, & Allison, 2003; Zhao, Ford, Dhingra, Strine, & Mokdad, 2009). In recent years, there has been emerging interest in exploring the relationship between obesity and individuals with externalizing problems including aggression, …