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A Generic Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of International Students Participating In The Cultural Connections Program At The University Of Mississippi, Nadezda Nikolaevna Kholomeydik Jan 2012

A Generic Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of International Students Participating In The Cultural Connections Program At The University Of Mississippi, Nadezda Nikolaevna Kholomeydik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of international students participating in the Cultural Connections Program at The University of Mississippi. A generic qualitative design was utilized using purposeful criterion sampling. The data was collected from two focus group interviews with 11 participants in focus group 1 and 10 participants in focus group 2. Using a generic qualitative approach, eight initial themes were identified after focus group 1 and eight clarifying questions were developed based on these themes. During focus group 2, these clarifying questions were utilized to further explore the eight initial themes in more depth …


An Examination Of The Effects Of The Sexual Double Standard On College Students' Condom Use, Cahryn Anderson Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Effects Of The Sexual Double Standard On College Students' Condom Use, Cahryn Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Men and women have historically been held to different standards regarding sexual behavior, known as the sexual double standard. Women have typically been judged more harshly than men for engaging in similar sexual behavior. Both genders report higher levels of sexual activity and more liberal attitudes since the 1940s. Males historically report engaging in more sexual activity than females. However, current studies indicate both genders are engaging in similar levels of sexual activity, although men continue to report slightly higher levels. It is unclear whether attitudes and judgments related to gender and sexuality have kept pace with reported behavior changes. …


The Life Purpose Questionnaire: A Factor-Analytic Investigation, Stephanie Wood Campbell Jan 2012

The Life Purpose Questionnaire: A Factor-Analytic Investigation, Stephanie Wood Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Meaning in life has been a popular topic of philosophy and study, and the perceived presence of meaning in one's life has been associated with many positive psychological variables (e.g., life satisfaction), while the perceived absence of meaning has been associated with negative variables (e.g., depression). The Purpose in Life test (PIL) was developed in order to assess the amount of perceived meaning in a person's life. Despite good psychometric support, there have been questions about the structural validity of the measure (i.e., only one model has been replicated, consisting of two factors that reflect exciting life and purpose in …


Perception Of Resistance As A Predictor Of Self-Blame In College Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault, Mary Ashton Phillips Jan 2012

Perception Of Resistance As A Predictor Of Self-Blame In College Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault, Mary Ashton Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between resistance and perception of resistance during sexual assault and feelings of self-blame in college aged women. The literature has shown that self-blame has uniformly negative effects on a victimized woman's emotional and psychological health, including poor adjustment, and higher levels of sexual dissatisfaction, depression and global distress. Behaviors and situations during and after the experience that correlate with self-blame that have been studied include alcohol use and knowing the perpetrator. Although other studies have been done showing that resistance is lower during those situations, no one has looked at …


Investigating The Effects Of Obesity On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Recovery From Acute Physical And Psychological Stress, Ashley Elizabeth Burch Jan 2012

Investigating The Effects Of Obesity On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Recovery From Acute Physical And Psychological Stress, Ashley Elizabeth Burch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role that excess adipose tissue plays in chronic inflammation gives rise to its importance as an independent risk factor in cardiovascular dysfunction. By operationalizing chronic stress as obesity, we sought to explore the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors, including recovery from stress. Further, we examined five adiposity measures to determine which were most related to cardiovascular dysfunction. Degree of obesity was able to predict dysfunction in both reactivity and recovery. Body mass index and waist circumference were found to be the best predictors of cardiovascular dysfunction. Blunted reactivity and slorecovery were found in participants with …


Identifying Dysfunction In Persistent Social Deviance: Perspective Taking As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Psychopathy And Social Aggression, Olga Vadymovna Berkout Jan 2012

Identifying Dysfunction In Persistent Social Deviance: Perspective Taking As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Psychopathy And Social Aggression, Olga Vadymovna Berkout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy has been associated with social aggression in a number of studies. Perspective taking (e.g. theory of mind and empathy) has been inversely associated with both psychopathy and social aggression, suggesting that it may serve as a potential mediator of this relationship. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess perspective taking as a potential partial mediator of the relationship between psychopathy and social aggression in a sample of 439 undergraduates. Although bivariate correlations produced the expected negative relationships between perspective taking and psychopathy and social aggression, perspective taking did not function as a mediator in the SEM analysis. Implications …


Impacts Of Race/Ethnicity And Self-Esteem On Body Dissatisfaction In Women, Kristie Vail Schultz Jan 2012

Impacts Of Race/Ethnicity And Self-Esteem On Body Dissatisfaction In Women, Kristie Vail Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there is a push for individuals to be of a particular size, and for women, that ideal size is extremely thin (Katzmarzyk & Davis, 2001). Overall, females indicate a greater drive for thinness and put more emphasis on weight and shape salience than do men (Anderson & Bulik, 2001), and they prefer a less muscular body type than men as well (Oehlhof, Musher-Eizenman, Neufeld, & Hauser, 2009). Among women, Caucasian females report more body dissatisfaction than do African American women (e.g., Kelly et al., 2011). Body dissatisfaction can be influenced by many factors; in addition to …


The Relative Effects Of Mindfulness And Values On Therapeutic Relationship: Developing Methods Of Manipulating Alliance, Regan Michelle Slater Jan 2012

The Relative Effects Of Mindfulness And Values On Therapeutic Relationship: Developing Methods Of Manipulating Alliance, Regan Michelle Slater

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comfactors research indicates that there is a positive relationship between therapeutic relationship and improved client outcomes. However, little research has been done to examine the nature of this relationship. The current study examined the relationship between mindfulness, values, and working alliance. Participants were 59 undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: mindfulness plus values, mindfulness, or control. Depending on condition, participants engaged in a mindfulness plus values exercise, a mindfulness exercise, or a wait control. All participants then engaged in a conversation with the experimenter regarding a recent disagreement. Mindfulness and values connectedness were assessed pre-intervention, …


The Applicability Of Video Self-Modeling For Adults With Developmental And Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren Elizabeth Cox Jan 2012

The Applicability Of Video Self-Modeling For Adults With Developmental And Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren Elizabeth Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video Self-Modeling (VSM) has shown to be an effective intervention in modifying maladaptive behaviors in children, particularly those with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD). Although the effectiveness of VSM with children with ID/DD has been well established in the extant literature, considerably fewer studies have addressed the applicability of VSM with adults of the same population. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the utility of VSM with three adults with ID/DD, specifically targeting table manners as the behavior of interest for the intervention. Two aspects of table manners were measured utilizing a multiple baseline design: food …


The Effects Of Adding Values To An Acceptance Intervention On Willingness To Engage In A Difficult Task, Maureen Kathleen Flynn Jan 2012

The Effects Of Adding Values To An Acceptance Intervention On Willingness To Engage In A Difficult Task, Maureen Kathleen Flynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a relatively large body of evidence supporting acceptance as a treatment component. According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) proponents, acceptance is done in the service of values (Hayes et al., 2011). This study aimed to examine the effects of adding a values component to an acceptance intervention on persistence in a frustrating task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: acceptance, acceptance plus values, and suppression. Following a mood induction, participants listened to a recording of their assigned coping strategy and were then asked to use this strategy during a frustrating computer task. No group …


A Factor-Analytic Study Of The Learning And Study Strategies Inventory, Second Edition (Lassi-2) In A Sample Of University Students, Kwoneathia Hill Jan 2012

A Factor-Analytic Study Of The Learning And Study Strategies Inventory, Second Edition (Lassi-2) In A Sample Of University Students, Kwoneathia Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to provide a better understanding of the factor structure of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, Second Edition (LASSI-2) at the item to scale level (via confirmatory factor analysis) and to expand the LASSI-2's psychometric properties (i.e., means, standard deviations, alpha coefficients, and correlations of the LASSI-2's scale scores) as well as examine for potential sex differences in the LASSI-2 scale scores (via t tests with Cohen's d also being calculated) with a sample of 420 university students. The means, standard deviations, and alpha coefficients of the 10 LASSI-2 scales for the current data appeared comparable …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between An Autism Label And Teachers' Attitudes, Expectations, And Behavioral Intentions, Corinn Nicole Johnson Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Relationship Between An Autism Label And Teachers' Attitudes, Expectations, And Behavioral Intentions, Corinn Nicole Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of children with autism receiving instruction in the regular education (inclusion) setting has been increasing. Instructional time in inclusion classrooms may offer benefits to children with disabilities; this appears to especially be the case when teachers utilize effective strategies. Prior studies indicate that teachers' attitudes towards children with disabilities are important in their willingness to use such strategies. Unfortunately, a number of findings indicate certain kinds of disabilities, as well as the use of diagnostic labels, may negatively influence teachers' attitudes and behavior toward inclusion. The current study examined the impact of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) label …


The Role Of Emotional Expression On Person Identity Recognition, Kristen Paris Jan 2012

The Role Of Emotional Expression On Person Identity Recognition, Kristen Paris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Facial information concerning person identity and emotional expression is vital to human social interaction, and therefore, we find it beneficial to remember the faces we see. Little is known, however, about whether emotional expressions facilitate or inhibit recognition for person identity. The present studies examined the role of emotional expression on person identity recognition by manipulating whether such information was presented at encoding (i.e., initial perception of the actor) or at recognition (i.e., later memory for the actor). In Experiment 1, participants recognized more actors displaying an angry rather than a happy expression, when they initially saw actors display a …


Construct Validity Of The Child Ptsd Symptom Scale, Regan Stewart Jan 2012

Construct Validity Of The Child Ptsd Symptom Scale, Regan Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increased research interest in post-traumatic reactions in children has led to a need for more accurate assessment measures to detect the presence of posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in youth. Instruments designed to accurately capture symptoms of PTSD are needed in order to understand how children respond to stressful events, such as violence, abuse, war, and natural disasters. The current study attempts to address the need for valid and reliable instruments in childhood PTSD assessment research by investigating the psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS; Foa, Johnson, Feeny, & Tredwell, 2001). Specifically, the study examines the factor structure …