Digital Commons Network^™

Body Mass Index: Effects On Overt Behaviors And Perceived Reward, Christin Nicole Mullane

Masters Theses

The incidence of obesity, defined as a BMI [body mass index] of over 30, has increased by 50% in the past 20 years (Carlson, 2004). Some notable behavioral differences as a function of weight have been identified, including the findings that individuals with obesity participate less often in physical activities, and spend more time engaging in sedentary behaviors. Using a daily-dairy assessment method as completed by undergraduate college students (n=99), the current study examined the impact of BMI on the duration of time spent and pleasure experienced within 13 behavioral domains: 1) Social, 2) Physical, 3) Health/Hygiene, 4) …

Behavioral Activation For Mildly Depressed Students: Randomized Controlled Trial, Michael John Gawrysiak

Masters Theses

Although depression is prevalent among university students, limited and dated research has examined the efficacy of behavioral interventions in treating this population. Based on a modified version of the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD; Hopko & Lejuez, 2007; Lejuez, Hopko, & Hopko, 2001) that involved a structured single-session intervention and 2- week treatment period, we conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing individualized BATD and a no-treatment control for university students with mild to moderate depression symptoms (N = 30). Outcome measures assessed depression severity, environmental reward, social support, and somatic anxiety. Repeated measures analyses of variance and reliable change …

Response-Contingent Positive Reinforcement: Incremental Validity In Predicting Depression Severity, John Paul Carvalho

Masters Theses

Insufficient response-contingent positive reinforcement (RCPR), or pleasure obtained through interaction with the environment that increases the likelihood of rewarding behavior, has been hypothesized to directly contribute to the onset and persistence of depression symptoms (Lewinsohn, 1974; Lewinsohn, Sullivan, & Grosscup, 1980). The present study examined the utility of RCPR in predicting the presence and severity of depression symptoms relative to other well-established risk factors that included gender, stressful life events, traumatic life events, childhood maltreatment, and cognitive vulnerability. Based on bivariate and hierarchical regression analyses, all variables except gender were significantly associated with the severity of depression symptoms, with RCPR …

An Evaluation Of Preference For Modeling Interventions, Kaneen B. Geiger

Masters Theses

Video modeling is an instructional technique demonstrated to effectively increase social skills, academic skills, daily living skills and play skills of children with autism. There are several hypotheses for why video modeling is effective. One hypothesis is that children with autism prefer watching videos to looking at people, thereby enhancing motivation and making attending to the video model automatically reinforcing, however, preference for video has not been experimentally examined. This study assessed participants' preference for either video modeling or in vivo modeling using a concurrent-chains arrangement. None of the three participants showed a preference for either video modeling or in …

Testing The Effectiveness Of Cognitive-Behavior And Medication Therapy In The Acute Treatment On Unipolar Mood Disorders: Processes And Case Histories, Alyssa H. Kalata

Masters Theses

The present study sought to investigate two areas of interest: (1) the process issues involved in conducting a randomized controlled trial with low-income individuals being seen at community mental health agencies and (2) patterns in case histories of individuals who participated in depression treatment outcome research at community mental health agencies. This study gives a detailed analysis of conducting a randomized controlled trial for unipolar mood disorders in two community mental health agencies in the Southwestern Michigan region. Process issues at the levels of identification and recruitment of participants, attendance and retention of participants, project implementation, and broader systemic issues …

Identifying The Most Effective Stimulus To Promote Wayfinding In Elders With Dementia, Allison A. Jay

Masters Theses

When nursing home residents with dementia experience difficulty locating their bedroom, it can create problems for other residents and staff. This study investigated the ability of four elders with severe dementia to recognize various self-referent stimuli (i.e., young adulthood photograph, middle adulthood photograph, current photograph, and printed name). Two of the three participants who were able to complete the assessment recognized their photographs from earlier in life and their printed names but were not able to recognize their current photograph. These two residents then participated in an intervention in which the recognized stimuli were posted outside their bedroom doorway during …

Attributions And Negative Affect As Moderators Of Ptsd Symptomatology And Aggression, Aaron J. Kivisto

Masters Theses

Interpersonal violence has been identified as one of our nation’s most important public health concerns and has been empirically linked with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In order to better understand the relationship between PTSD and violence, we used Chemtob’s (1997) Survival Mode model to examine the role of two potentially important proximal factors linking PTSD to violence; cognitive attributions and negative affect. Congruent with theory and previous research, we hypothesized that PTSD would be related to aggression, and that cognitive attributions and negative affect would moderate the relationship between these variables.

Undergraduate students (N = 628) completed an online screening …

Pitch Contrast In Meter Perception, Nigel O. Lay

Masters Theses

The role of large pitch contrasts in meter perception of three-pulse-train polyrhythms was investigated. Subjects were presented with several polyrhythmic configurations having both small and large pitch contrasts and were asked to tap the meter, or beat. Some subjects preferred meters based on the lower-pitch and slowerprogressing pulse trains, while others preferred unit-based meters. Results revealed that three-pulse-train polyrhythms with large pitch contrast do not result in notably different meter perceptions from those with smaller pitch contrast. These results support previous findings which showed that meter is determined by multiple factors, such as pulse-train pitch and relative pulse-train tempo.

Schedule Thinning Following Mand Training: Attempts To Enhance Signaled Delay To Reinforcement, Jamie M. Severtson

Masters Theses

Mand training, a common component of language training programs for children with autism, is associated with several clinical benefits (Sundberg & Michael, 2001), yet mand training sometimes results in high-rate responding that is difficult to maintain. One method of reducing high-rate mands to manageable rates is known as graduated signaled delay to reinforcement. The current investigation involved a series of three studies to evaluate the ability of three independent variables (a) highly preferred toys, (b) signal duration, and (c) schedule thinning methods to enhance signaled delay to reinforcement. The results of the three studies indicate that 7 of the 8 …

A Study Of Body Scent As A Social Identifier Among Members Of The Arabic Culture, Mia M. Wilson

Masters Theses

Body scent plays a major factor in how individuals interact with one another. While Americans have their own perception of what is "proper" body scent, they still remain uninformed about the various ways body scent is used to deliver social messages and form interpersonal relationships within other cultures. With many immigrants continuing to move to the United States (Frey, 2004), American societies need to become educated on other cultures' social aspects of body scent to avoid alienation of foreign communities. This qualitative research study explores how individuals of the Saudi Arabian culture use body scent as a social identifier to …

Generalization Of Mands For Information Across Establishing Operations, Sarah A. Lechago

Masters Theses

This study sought to extend the developing literature on teaching mands for information by systematically assessing whether they generalize across different EOs. Three children with autism were taught to perform multiple behavior chains, three of which included a common response topography (e.g., "Where is the spoon?") used for different purposes. An interrupted-behavior-chain procedure was used to contrive the EO for each mand. After a mand for information was taught under one EO, the remaining chains were interrupted to determine whether the mand had generalized across EOs. For all three participants, mands for information generalized across EOs. For one participants, a …

The Power Of Prayer: Examining The Relationship Between Prayer And Subjective Well-Being, Aba. Grove

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Individual Growth And Development Indicators To Track Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development, Deborah Cook Pottle

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

High School Siblings Of Children With Disabilities: Five Case Studies, Casey Cuttill

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Quality Of The Teacher-Child Relationship And Self-Worth In Middle-Childhood, Hannah Ozier

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Teaching Children In Head Start Phonological Awareness Skills Of Alliteration And Rhyming, Matthew J. Sidarous

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Resiliency In Hispanic Middle School Students: A Direct Assessment, Randy Horner

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Teachers' Perceptions Of Multicultural Education, Brandie M. Goodman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Differences Among Students With Or Without Severe Discrepancy Between Predicted And Actual Achievement: Does Severe Discrepancy Matter?, Melissa (Bergan) Mcclelland

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Cultural Dimension Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Clinical Implications, Koyeli Sengupta

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Preferences For Individuals With Severe Disabilities, Meghan Foster

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Predicting Eating Disordered Behavior In Adolescent Boys, Kurt Wagner

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Sexual Cognitions Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Christa M. Smith

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Stress And Help Seeking: Exploring Group Differences Among Traditional And Nontraditional Female College Students, Stacey Priya Raj

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

High School Students' Academic Achievement And Their Mothers' Attitudes And Level Of Education, Nicole M. Classen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Dibels And Aimsweb Fall Benchmarking And Their Identification Of Students In Need Of Tier Ii Service, Lindsay R. Rickelman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Virtues Of Prosocialness, Wisdom, And Hope As Predictors Of Academic Achievement In Adolescents, Michael P. Maier

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining The Impact Of A Little Book Intervention On The Early Literacy Skills Of Children In Head Start Via The Individual Growth And Development Indicators, Laura J. Holstius

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Coordination Of Multiple Roles By Female Graduate Students From Three Different Cultures, Smita Srivastava

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Epistemological Belief, Attachment Style To God, And Religious Commitment As Predictors Of Religious Maturity, Andrew Beard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.