Digital Commons Network^™

Small Individual Loans And Mental Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among South African Adults, Lia C. H. Fernald, Rita Hamad, Dean Karlan, Emily J. Ozer, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool – in the context of "microcredit" – but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored.

Methods: Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate – APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their …

Understanding The Human Aspects Of Animal Hoarding, Amanda I. Reinisch

Passive Cruelty to Animals Collection

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium reviewed the case records of 71 incidents from across the United States and Canada to determine what characterizes a typical animal hoarding case (5). Of the cases reviewed, 83% involved women (71% involved individuals, who were widowed, divorced, or single); 53% of the animal hoarding residences were home to other individuals including children (5%), elderly dependents and disabled people (21%). Often essential utilities and major appliances such as showers, heaters, stoves, toilets, and sinks were not functional. Residential home interiors were usually unsanitary, 93%; 70% had fire hazards; and 16% of residences involved in …

Individual Differences In Emotion Expression: Hierarchical Structure And Relations With Psychological Distress, Jeffery H. Kahn, Leah K. Barr, Joel W. Schneider

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Several constructs reflecting individual differences in emotion expression have been described in the literature, yet their structural organization is unknown. The present study provided a taxonomy of these individual differences and determined their relations to depression and anxiety symptoms. Exploratory factor analyses suggested seven emotion-expression factors-Affect Intensity, Ambivalence About Expression Disclosure of Negative Emotion, Disclosure of Emotion, Disclosure of Lack of Affect, Expression of Positive Emotion, and Secret Keeping-are explained by two second-order factors: Emotional Constraint and Emotional Expression. Multiple regression and canonical correlation analyses suggested that a reluctance to express emotions is related to heightened psychological symptoms. These findings …

Use Of Stimulus Management Techniques To Reduce Sedentary Behaviors Of Overweight Children, Julie A. Pelletier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An epidemic proportion of children and adolescents is currently overweight or at-risk of being overweight. This is associated with many negative outcomes, including short-term and long-term health risks, as well as increased psychosocial problems. The etiology of this problem is likely complex, though environmental factors (i.e., factors related to decreased physical activity and increased consumption of calories) have been implicated in previous research. Providing effective, easy-to-implement treatment strategies for children who are overweight or at-risk of being overweight could be helpful to reverse the current epidemic and to decrease current health care costs associated with pediatric obesity. The overall purpose …

Relationships Among Temperament Characteristics Of Adolescents Born Prematurely And Maternal Temperament Characteristics, Andrea D. Clements, Kellye Lingerfelt, Wallace E. Dixon Jr.

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available through the Developmental Psychobiology.

A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Sense Of Humor And Positive Psychological Capacities, Larry W. Hughes

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

The constructs of sense of humor (Lefcourt, 2002) and positive psychological capacities (PsyCap; Luthans, 2002a) have been heralded as important phenomenon within the growing field of positive psychology, especially within the organizational sciences. Additionally, a sense of humor has been found to be related to positive affective experiences. Leaders can develop followers' confidence, hope, optimism and resiliency for what Avolio and Luthans (2006) called sustainable, veritable performance. The hypotheses presented and tested here will advance the theoretical and empirical discussion of leadership in organizations by linking several emerging constructs of interest, both in academe and practice. This study marks an …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Defining Roles In The Online Classroom To Assure Learning, Chris Ponder Ii

Modern Psychological Studies

The emergence of the internet has provided the opportunity for universities to begin offering online courses. As more students seek flexibility in education delivery, the greater the need becomes for online learning, which may result in developing courses that do not promote assurance of learning. This paper will explore how assurance of learning can take place in the online courseroom by evaluating student, instructor, and instructional design readiness for online learning, as well as defining the role of how each can promote assurance of learning utilizing reflective questions.

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

What Are Public Views On Using Video To Deter Crime And Consumer Fraud?, Ada W.J. Chan, Shani Rumaldo, Robert Emmons

Modern Psychological Studies

Since 1978, Nassau County NY has pioneered the use of "video stings" to protect the public from a wide variety of dishonest behaviors—with appliance repair, auto repair, home contractors, insurance sales, chiropractors, and even internet pedophiles (Lambert, 1997). Surprisingly, though this has been a model for a few other municipalities, neither Nassau County nor others have conducted systematic research on how the public regards this unusual policy (Wrightsman, Greene, Nietzel & Fortune, 2002). In this survey, 114 people completed an anonymous structured 18-item survey containing 3 scales: their support of video stings (0-28), their familiarity with past media reports of …

Enhancing Decision Making By Implementing Likelihood Alarm Technology In Integrated Displays, Rylan M. Clark, Ernesto A. Bustamente

Modern Psychological Studies

Complex environments with automated systems, such as aircraft cockpits and nuclear control rooms, require critical decisions to be made about human intervention. Human monitors operating in these roles must interact with copious amounts of information. Decision support tools within integrated displays, especially alarms, aid people in monitoring these systems by capturing their attention to focus on possibly dangerous conditions. Once signaled, monitors choose whether they wish to acknowledge the alarm and search for more process status, or ignore it. This study investigates the impact of likelihood alarm technology versus traditional binary alarms on decision making accuracy and response bias in …

Individual Response To Three Types Of Nonlethal Weapons, Tyrone R. Nixon, Cynthia M. Bridges, Mara S. Aruguete

Modern Psychological Studies

This study investigates behavioral reactions to three types of nonlethal weapons (NLWs) used by the U.S. military. We provided participants with simulated situations involving military use of NLWs, and asked them to predict how they would react. We found variations in response according to weapon type. In general, individuals were unlikely to aggress or disperse, although these reactions were mediated by demographic factors. It may be important for Army officials to know the behavioral effects of NLWs in order to use them effectively.

The Effects Of Acquaintance Versus Stranger Rape And Gender On Rape Myth Acceptance And Attitudes Toward Rape In College Students, Shellie Patscheck, Sharon Shears

Modern Psychological Studies

This original empirical experiment assessed effects of acquaintance versus stranger rape and gender on rape myth acceptance and attitudes toward rape in college students. Participants read hypothetical scenarios depicting acquaintance or stranger rape, and then completed modified versions of Burt's Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and Feild's Attitudes Toward Rape Scale. Based on previous research, we predicted that males would demonstrate more negative attitudes and would be more supportive of rape myth acceptance than females. In addition, given the relative lack of previous literature on this topic, we predicted that the two conditions for type of rape would be different, but …

Examining The Relationship Between Proactive Personality And Career Success, Jeremy Owens

Modern Psychological Studies

With increasing levels of employee autonomy and responsibility in today's workforce, proactive behavior and the performance of discretionary, extra-role work behaviors are becoming vital to effective organizational functioning. This study examined how proactive personality relates to career success through extra-role behaviors including innovation, contextual performance, and organizational citizenship behavior by surveying 302 employees from a large manufacturing organization. Hierarchical regression and multiple mediation analyses showed that the relationship between proactive personality and career success is at least partially influenced by indirect effects via extra-role behaviors, even after controlling for demographic and personality variables (age, sex, and FFM traits).

Same, But Different: Understanding Asians' Attitudes Towards Affirmative Action, Luisa J. Maun, Brian J. O'Leary

Modern Psychological Studies

Organizations often use affirmative action plans to increase demographic diversity, but, the success of these plans depends on employee attitudes. Attitudes toward affirmative action differ among racial groups, with Blacks having more favorable attitudes than Hispanics, Asians, and Whites (e.g., Bell, Harrison, & McLaughlin, 1997). To correct a paucity of literature that includes a large Asian American sample, Asian participants from various ethnicities, such as Indian, Filipino, and Vietnamese, (N = 181) completed several online questionnaires at surveymonkey.com about affirmative action attitudes (Attitude Towards Affirmative Action Scale), collectivism/individualism (Triandis & Gelfand, 1998) , and ethnic identity (Multigroup Measure of Ethnic …

The Importance Of Early Intervention: Treatments For Conduct Disorder Versus Treatments For Antisocial Personality Disorder, Lindsay J. Buck

Modern Psychological Studies

This literature review focuses on both medicinal and therapeutic treatment options for Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. Conduct Disorder is considered a precursor to Antisocial Personality Disorder, and research on the treatment of both of these disorders suggests that early intervention, during childhood and adolescence, is the most promising treatment option for people diagnosed with Conduct Disorder. Medicinal treatments for Conduct Disorder that are discussed within this literature review are lithium, methylphenidate, and risperidone, while the therapeutic treatments reviewed are parent management training and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Less encouraging research results have been found for the treatment of Antisocial Personality …

Automatic Vigilance: Does Emotional State Affect Search Times For Positively And Negatively Valenced Targets?, Stephen Long

Modern Psychological Studies

Recent research has suggested that specific emotions, such as fear, may impact visual acuity (Phelps, Ling, & Carrasco, 2006). To see if emotion can influence higher order perceptions, an affective priming visual search task (APVST) was used to examine the effect of either fear or joy on participants' ability to find an associated search stimulus. A face showing either fear or joy was presented to induce a mood state, and participants searched for either a spider or a flower in a wooded background. It was found that search times were faster for the spider, but mood induction seemed to have …

The Effect Of Psychological Skills Training On Competitive State Anxiety In Collegiate Swimmers, Shea H. Davisson

Modern Psychological Studies

The present study examined the effects of psychological skills training on competitive state anxiety, as measured by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). Participants were 60 swimmers from an intercollegiate Division III team who were randomly assigned to a control, goal setting, imagery, or relaxation group. One hour prior to the first competition of the season, participants completed the CSAI-2. Over the following 5 weeks, participants engaged in 10 sessions of psychological skills training. A control group received no training. All participants completed the CSAI-2 again, one hour prior to competition in a final swim meet. It was hypothesized that …

A Mismatch With Dual Process Models Of Addiction Rooted In Psychology, Reinout W. Wiers, Remco Havermans, Roland Deutsch, Alan W. Stacy

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

The model of addiction proposed by Redish et al. shows a lack of fit with recent data and models in psychological studies of addiction. In these dual process models, relatively automatic appetitive processes are distinguished from explicit goal-directed expectancies and motives, whereas these are all grouped together in the planning system in the Redish et al. model. Implications are discussed.

Reproduction Of Cultural Knowledge And Practices Interviews With Spanish-Speaking Parents Of Deaf Children In South Texas, Christina J. Quilantan-Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Hispanic population is the largest and fastest growing cultural and language minority group in the United States (Figueroa et al. 1989); consequently, "as the number of Hispanic individuals in the United States increases, so does the number of Hispanic hearing impaired children" (Walker-Vann 1998: 46), making them the fastest growing population among deaf and hard of hearing school age students (Gerner de García 1995b). Yet, little is known about Mexican families raising a deaf child because "there is a shortage of research that looks at Hispanic deaf children in their home environment or in the community of their families" …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Among Religious Orientation, Object Relations, And Positive Adjustment, Scott Robert Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Many studies have found positive relationships between religion and mental health. This study explored the relationships between Religious Orientations, Positive Adjustment, and Object Relations. Intrinsics live by their religion, whereas Extrinsics use their religion for other ends (Allport & Ross, 1967), and Questers explore religion (Batson & Schoenrade, 1991a, 1991b). Positive Adjustment, a latent variable, consisted of Life Satisfaction (Pavot & Diener, 1993), Hope (Snyder, Harris, et al., 1991), Optimism (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), and Flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975b, 1982). Object Relations refers to an individual’s interpersonal dynamics and attachment style (Rizzuto, 1979; Winnicott, 1971) and were posited to play …

Sexual Harassment Experiences And Harmful Alcohol Use In A Military Sample: Differences In Gender And The Mediating Role Of Depression, Jaimie L. Gradus, Amy E. Street, Kacie Kelly, Jane Stafford

Faculty Publications

The current investigation identified the genderspecific prevalence of sexual harassment and assault experienced during U.S. military service and the negative mental and physical health correlates of these experiences in a sample of former reservists. We surveyed a stratified random sample of 3,946 former reservists about their experiences during military service and their current health, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic symptoms, and medical conditions. Prevalence estimates and confidence intervals of sexual harassment and assault were calculated. A series of logistic regressions identified associations with health symptoms and conditions. Both men and women had a substantial prevalence of military sexual harassment …

Therapeutic Children’S Mural, Natalie Brooks

Senior Honors Projects

Painting on small canvases has been a hobby of mine since I was a child. My personal passion for tactile art has always made art therapy an aspect of psychology that has piqued my interest. However, I have left it unexplored during my undergraduate college career as a psychology major.

I did research on art therapy and discovered that one of the major ideas in the area was that the use of creative activities can promote the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being. I also discovered that art can be seen as a self-esteem builder; the children will always …

A Primary Human Challenge, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

We may ask why, at both the individual and collective levels, it has seemed so difficult for us to choose to evolve our human games with Joy. There is no one answer for such a question, for each of us has the gift of free will. I will suggest, however, that built into our human games is what I call a primary human challenge. That primary human challenge is a dynamic tension, flowing from our creative urge for the freedom “to be” who we really are in our current physical form, and simultaneously to embrace our responsibility for our Being-ness.

Proactive Behavior: A Selection Perspective, Laura Elizabeth Marler

Doctoral Dissertations

In the 15 years since Bateman and Crant (1993) formulated the construct of proactive personality, numerous researchers have devoted a significant amount of attention to proactive attributes and behaviors (e.g., Parker, Williams, & Turner, 2006; Crant, 2000; Frese & Fay, 2001; Parker, 2000; Erdogan & Bauer, 2005). Campbell's (1990) model of performance suggests that an organization's selection system may ultimately promote proactive behavior. Consequently, in this dissertation, I advocate a selection approach as the initial building block towards creating a workplace in which proactive behavior is a fundamental outcome.

One of the selection tools yet to be explored by researchers …

Attention And Emotion Influence The Relationship Between Extraversion And Neural Response, C. A. Hutcherson, P. R. Goldin, W. Ramel, Kateri Mcrae, J. J. Gross

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Extraversion has been shown to positively correlate with activation within the ventral striatum, amygdala and other dopaminergically innervated, reward-sensitive regions. These regions are implicated in emotional responding, in a manner sensitive to attentional focus. However, no study has investigated the interaction among extraversion, emotion and attention. We used fMRI and dynamic, evocative film clips to elicit amusement and sadness in a sample of 28 women. Participants were instructed either to respond naturally (n = 14) or to attend to and continuously rate their emotions (n = 14) while watching the films. Contrary to expectations, striatal response was negatively associated with …

Vision For "A New Human Being" And A "Human Synergistic Movement": A New Humanistic Movement Aligned With Transformational Archetypal Energies, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

In previous writings, I spoke of the “Path of the Bridger: AHP’s Role in Co-Creating a New Reality for Human Togetherness and the Evolution of Consciousness,” “The Voices of Transformational Archetypal Energies: The Psychic Energy behind AHP’s Mission,” and “The Gift and Challenge of ‘Free Will’: The Connection to Transformational Archetypal Energies.” I wanted to remind us of how and why AHP came into being as a “Mother Organization,” arguably to give birth to an organized focus on validating the dignity of the Human Spirit, maximizing Human Potential, and planting seeds for Well Being and the Evolution of Consciousness. In …

E-Mental Health In Central Massachusetts, Elaine Russo Martin, Nancy E. Harger, Sally A. Gore

Sally A. Gore

e-Mental Health in Central Massachusetts (EMH) is a web-based resource designed to improve access to evidence-based mental health information and local resources for mental health professionals and consumers. The Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), in collaboration with the UMMS Department of Psychiatry and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, developed EMH to meet the needs of practitioners, patients and caregivers. The project provides an integrative web-based information resource that includes searchable databases of (1) local mental health care services and (2) quality-filtered information about mental health conditions and diseases. Centralized access to professional resources, …

The Relationship Between Early Life Stress And Microstructural Integrity Of The Corpus Callosum In A Non-Clinical Population, Robert H. Paul, Lorrie Henry, Stuart M. Grieve, Thomas J. Guilmette

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: Previous studies have examined the impact of early life stress (ELS) on the gross morphometry of brain regions, including the corpus callosum. However, studies have not examined the relationship between ELS and the microstructural integrity of the brain. Previous studies have examined the impact of early life stress (ELS) on the gross morphometry of brain regions, including the corpus callosum. However, studies have not examined the relationship between ELS and the microstructural integrity of the brain. Methods: In the present study we evaluated this relationship in healthy non-clinical participants using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and self-reported history of ELS. …

Cumulating Evidence About The Social Animal: Meta-Analysis In Social-Personality Psychology, Blair T. Johnson Dr., Marcella H. Boynton Dr.

CHIP Documents

Like most scientific fields, social-personality psychology has experienced an

explosion of research related to such central topics as aggression, attraction, gender,

group processes, motivation, personality, and persuasion, to name a few. The

proliferation of research can be a monster unless it is tamed with the scientific

review strategy of meta-analysis, literally analyses of past analyses that produce

a quantitative and empirical history of research on a particular phenomenon. The

purpose of this article is to outline the basic process and statistics of meta-analysis,

as they pertain to social-personality psychology. Meta-analysis involves: (i) defining

the problem under review; (ii) gathering qualified …