Digital Commons Network^™

Persistence And Achievement In Academics, Robert L. Altman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most valuable commodities in modern society is a college education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2016), an estimated 20.5 million students enrolled in American colleges and universities during the fall of 2016, with the majority enrolled in undergraduate programs. When assessing undergraduate success, many studies focus on academic achievement, with grade-point average (GPA) serving as the most common measure. Other studies utilize persistence to graduation as the primary measure of success. Based on the available literature, college success can be predicted by several domains, including personality, motivational influences, and social variables. In the …

The Influence Of Resource Scarcity And Childhood Socioeconomic Status On In-Group Inclusiveness, Spencer Dobbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millions of individuals worldwide are malnourished and without clean drinking water due to a lack of environmental resources. Resource scarcity is a ubiquitous ecological threat that significantly influences social cognition and behavior. For example, research on resource scarcity has shown that it significantly reduces in-group inclusiveness. In fact, when individuals are primed with resource scarcity, they are significantly less likely to categorize racially ambiguous others as belonging to their racial in-group. The current study aimed to extend this research by examining the impact of resource scarcity on in-group inclusiveness while also accounting for variations of early life environmental hardship (i.e., …

Romantic Interest Selection From An Imago Relationship Therapy Perspective, Lauren O. Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) is a model of couples therapy that is not empirically validated (Jakubowski et al., 2004). IRT proposes that individuals select Romantic Interests (Interests) that are similar to their Childhood Caregivers (Caregivers) in an effort to heal childhood wounding (Hendrix, 1988). The current study sought to evaluate the IRT proposition of romantic interest selection by evaluating patterns in romantic interest selection, particularly the relationship between Caregiver and Interest personality characteristics, adult attachment dimensions, gender, and geographical location of origin. In addition, the study considers similarities in participant narratives of positive and negative experiences with Caregivers and Interests. …

Examining Preference Of Home-Based Telemental Health Among Rural Veterans, Paige Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural veterans face significant disparities to health care that have resulted in lower physical and mental health related quality of life when compared to their urban counterparts (Weeks et al., 2006). Such disparities are further complicated by the six-fold increase in prevalence of mental health diagnoses among Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (Seal et al., 2009). These rising rates are particularly relevant to rural veterans as they represent 41% of the overall Veteran Health Administration enrollees, but only 19% of the general population (U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Rural veterans face three …

Resilience As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Negative Life Events And Psychological Well-Being, Anna L. Faircloth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relatively young field of positive psychology serves to redirect the focus of common psychological investigation and intervention on factors that deplete well-being, toward characteristics and experiences that promote happiness and well-being (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Two features that have been consistently associated with measures of psychological well-being are resilience and negative life events (Avey et al., 2010; Shonkoff et al., 2012). The current study examined the relationship between negative life events, well-being, and resilience. Specifically, the study was designed to determine if resilience mediates the relationship between negative life events and psychological well-being among emerging adults. Participants were 325 …

The Effect Of Loving-Kindness Meditation On Physiological And Psychological Reactions To Violent Stimuli, Joseph A. Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past, meditation research has focused primarily on mindfulness meditation, but little research has examined Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM). LKM may be an important addition to treatment or preventative programs for people at risk of exposure to violence or aggression in their lives or work. The current research aims to add to the currently growing body of literature concerning LKM and compassion based meditation practices. The researchers sought to determine if a 12-week course in LKM would have any effect on galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate in beats per minute (BPM) during the presentation of a video containing …

Exploring Job Satisfaction And Preceptorship Capacity Among Applied Epidemiologists, Jessica C. Arrazola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job satisfaction is important to consider when developing strategies for recruitment and retention. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) conducted in 2014 was the first nationally representative assessment of the state public health workforce. Prior to this assessment, the job satisfaction of state agency public health workers and preceptor capacity had not been measured. This study fills the current research gaps by studying the job satisfaction among the applied epidemiology workforce, identifying factors influencing job satisfaction, and the describing the preceptorship capacity among epidemiologists. This research is based on the 2014 PH WINS data. The analysis …

The Effects Of Ostracism On Seeking Social Situations As Moderated By Narcissism, Julie Odom-Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we tested assumptions about the role of personality in situation selection after experiencing ostracism. We did this by examining social situation selection in the context of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability. In this study, students (valid N =97) completed trait measures of narcissism and general personality before being randomly assigned to either experience ostracism or not. Afterwards, they completed measures designed to assess their desire to engage in certain social situations. We predicted that after experiencing ostracism, individuals scoring higher in grandiose narcissism would be more likely to seek out social situations, while those scoring higher in vulnerable …

Reducing Substance Abuse Stigma In Employment Application, Timothy W. Curran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A history of substance use and having a history of legal charges can be a barrier to employment. Available research shows individuals with a criminal history of substance related charges have greater difficulty obtaining employment due to the presence of substance abuse stigma and criminal history stigma. Research also shows that employers with higher levels of fundamentalism and conservativism are more likely to negatively evaluate applicants with a criminal history of substance charges. Furthermore, available research demonstrates employers in rural areas are more likely to deny employment to an individual with a legal history of substance charges based upon higher …

Investigating Individual Pathways To Recovery, Mackenzie R. Mcbride

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug use is most prevalent among young adults between ages 18 and 24; this is just one factor that contributes to the high rates of substance use on college campuses. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) have been growing in number, awakening the “youth in recovery” movement. This paper presents literature on various tools and elements of recovery, with a focus on CRPs and their significance. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap by examining individual pathways to recovery and learning about the characteristics of students participating in CRPs, including their life events and decisions to seek treatment. Semi-structured interviews were …

Dual Task Testing Of The Adaptive Combination View In Spatial Reorientation, Donald G. Sullens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

If an organism is trained to approach a location within an enclosure the organism will approach the correct location and it’s geometrically identical location within the environment upon removal of any features. This phenomenon has been turned spatial reorientation, and further studies on how, and to what, organisms reorient have conducted in the last several decades. In the reorientation literature, two theories have surfaced to fill the void left by the rejection of the initial reorientation theory, the Geometric Module theory. I attempt look to discern if the synonym judgement dual task will hinder reorientation in a similar or different …

Psychopathy And The Effect Of Imitation On Empathetic Pain, Emily N. Lasko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is a disorder largely characterized by a marked deficit in empathy, however, the specificity and extent of the deficit is currently unclear. While it has been well-established in the literature that individuals higher in psychopathy tend to have intact Theory of Mind abilities and exhibit a deficient ability for affective empathy (Blair, 2005), the contribution of motor empathy to these abilities, particularly in regard to empathy for pain, has yet to be experimentally examined. Additionally, the possibility of imitation increasing motor empathic abilities has not been tested in this capacity. The goal of the current study was to further …

Cognitive And Emotional Processes Involved In The Experience Of Objects As Holy Or Transcendent, Lotte J. Pummerer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, attitudes about religion/spirituality have become more pluralistic (Pew Research Center, 2015a). At the same time, the number of individuals who identify themselves as nonreligious, atheist or agnostic are growing (Pew Research Center, 2015b), yet we are lacking words and research to describe their attributions of transcendence in language not bound to religious concepts. This study aims at examining both concepts – holiness and transcendence – in their similarities and differences through assessing cognitive and emotional processes involved in experiences of objects.

The study consisted of two parts with a total of 206 Christian and 52 nonreligious/atheistic/agnostic participants. …

Examining Anxiety Schemas Through The Context Of A Stress-Intrapersonal Model, Kayla M. Leleux-Labarge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Explicating vulnerability factors to anxiety difficulties is important as the National Comorbidity Study (NCS) lists anxiety as the most common and costly class of mental health disorders in the United States. Maladaptive schemas, as theorized by Young (1990), perpetuate anxiety pathology by hindering the individual’s ability to alter behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and overall approach to adverse events. Previous research indicates that intrapersonal resources can stymie the development of psychopathological features, even in the context of adverse life events (Floyd, Seltzer, Greenberg, & Song, 2013). The main purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship among adverse life events …

Connecting Emotions To Behavioral Outcomes, Whitney L. Spears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of positive psychology has emerged within the last decade and focuses on investigating happiness and what constitutes a satisfying life (Seligman, 2011; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). One of the main purposes of positive psychology is to identify resources that can be used to promote psychologically beneficial outcomes (Fredrickson, 2001). Two positive psychological outcomes that can build resources to overcome negative circumstances and lead to a fulfilling life are resilience and well-being. A theory proposed by Fredrickson (1998) that offers a process by which individuals can enhance well-being and resilience is the broaden-and-build theory. Through this theory, it is …

Examining The Effects Of Enclosure Size At Training And At Test In Spatial Reorientation, Zebulon K. Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has begun to shed light on the differentiated influence of enclosure size on cue use during reorientation (Sturz, Forloines, & Bodily, 2012). Namely, the question remains of why both feature (i.e., objects or landmarks in the enclosure) and geometric (i.e., shape of the enclosure) cues are differentially affected by enclosure size, and the extent to which local (i.e., wall lengths and corner angles) and global (i.e., principal axis of space) geometric cues are affected by enclosure size. Further, it remains unclear whether training size, testing size, or the relationship between training and testing size influences the use of …

The Effect Of Social Influence On Perception Of Tornado Warnings, Jason A. Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tornado activity annually results in many deaths throughout the U.S. As a result, the emergency alert system (including tornado warnings) has made considerable advancements throughout the past few decades. However, continued improvements could be made to warning content that aid to facilitate adaptive decision-making by increasing individuals’ motivation to respond. One method that could increase adaptive responses to warnings is by including the modality of descriptive social information within the warning. Research suggests that normative social influence acts as a powerful motivator for individuals to conform toward the witnessed or perceived behaviors of others. The current study examined the impact …

Differentiating The Effects Of Animal-Assisted Versus Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy On Positive Psychological Outcomes Through A Stress Induction Context, Catherine J.V. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The unique benefits of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) such as the human-horse bond, a non-traditional therapy setting, and performing altruistic acts are thought to facilitate positive change in humans. One mechanism by which positive changes occur is through improved coping and resilience in the face of stress. To date, only a handful of correlational studies speak to the potential effects of EFP on resilience-based outcomes. Thus, this study sought to address this gap in the literature by exploring the benefits of EFP compared to traditional Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in an experimental context. Specifically, we examined the effects of different …

The Influence Of Coach Leadership Behavior And Authenticity On Burnout Among Collegiate Athletes, William Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if coach authenticity and leadership behavior can influence burnout in collegiate athletes. By using congruency rooted in the multi-dimensional model of leadership and the leadership scale for sport, a mediating variable of authenticity, and a criterion variable of burnout, it was hypothesized that coach authenticity and congruence in the coach-athlete dyad, will influence rates of burnout evidenced by their ability to account for a significant proportion of the variance associated with burnout. The data analysis used in this study was a meditational analysis, which examined how coach-authenticity and congruency predict athlete burnout.