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Psychology

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2011

University of Central Florida

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Spatial Ability And Experts Of Needlework Crafts An Exploratory Study, Shannon Kyle Tedder Bailey Dec 2011

Spatial Ability And Experts Of Needlework Crafts An Exploratory Study, Shannon Kyle Tedder Bailey

HIM 1990-2015

In the Surface Development Test, self-perceived Sewing Expertise was significant in predicting participants' test scores. For the Paper Folding Test, Knitting and Crocheting Expertise were significant, suggesting expertise may mitigate age effects.; Spatial ability has been a topic of much research and debate over the past few decades. Yet, there are gaps in the current literature. Spatial ability refers to the aptitude of an individual to mentally rotate objects, visualize spaces, and recognize patterns (Linn & Petersen, 1985). A highly spatial task that is not addressed in research literature is crafting. Crafting may refer to knitting, crocheting, sewing, and other …


Attitude Change Regarding Animal Abuse In Adults The Effect Of Education And Visual Aids, Ashley Carter Dec 2011

Attitude Change Regarding Animal Abuse In Adults The Effect Of Education And Visual Aids, Ashley Carter

HIM 1990-2015

Additionally, images of animals alone immediately increased attitudes regarding treatment of animals. This difference does not appear to increase further over time. Images of animals alone appear to aid in immediately altering individuals' sense of continuity with animals. The attitude that animals and humans share some commonalities and exist in relation to each other could assist in adoption campaigns by allowing the potential owners to place themselves with the animals they are adopting. However, over time information combined with images of humans and animals significantly increase this sense of commonality. The applications for the results depend on what type of …


Yoga As A Treatment For Low Back Pain A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Alison Diaz Dec 2011

Yoga As A Treatment For Low Back Pain A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Alison Diaz

HIM 1990-2015

Background: Low back pain is very common and has a tremendous economic impact. With the prevalence and incidence of low back pain on the rise, individuals are turning to alternative treatments. Yoga is the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine treatment for low back pain and it is not fully certain how effective this method is for resolving the symptoms. Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript is to systematically review the current literature for randomized controlled trials that assess the outcomes of yoga intervention in individuals with low back pain. Methods: An electronic database search was performed to analyze …


Effects Of Input Modality And Expertise On Workload And Video Game Performance, Travis M. Kent Dec 2011

Effects Of Input Modality And Expertise On Workload And Video Game Performance, Travis M. Kent

HIM 1990-2015

A recent trend in consumer and military electronics has been to allow operators the option to control the system via novel control methods. The most prevalent and available form of these methods is that of vocal control. Vocal control allows for the control of a system by speaking commands rather than manually inputting them. This has not only implications for increased productivity but also optimizing safety, and assisting the disabled population. Past research has examined the potential costs and benefits to this novel control scheme with varying results. The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between …


Improving Eyewitness Testimony Methods For More Accurate Recall Of Events, Ashley M. Schachter Dec 2011

Improving Eyewitness Testimony Methods For More Accurate Recall Of Events, Ashley M. Schachter

HIM 1990-2015

Eyewitness testimony has as long history in the court system, and is very persuasive to juries. Jurors are hard pressed to ignore a witness' assertion of a perpetrator's identity. However, the juror's perception of eyewitness testimony is problematic as it has been documented as inaccurate and unreliable in numerous experiments. With the advent of DNA testing and efforts such as The Innocence Project, it has become apparent that faulty eyewitness accounts are central to many wrongful convictions. The intent of this thesis was to explore how law enforcement can facilitate more accurate eyewitness accounts via their interview process. Research suggests …


An Exploration Of Chronic Pain Experience, Coping And The Neo Five Factors In High Functioning Adults, Juliana Stalter Dec 2011

An Exploration Of Chronic Pain Experience, Coping And The Neo Five Factors In High Functioning Adults, Juliana Stalter

HIM 1990-2015

Chronic pain affects nearly 48 million Americans (Haggard, Stowell, Bernstein, & Gatchel, 2008). Established guidelines for pain management encourage the use of personality assessment in chronic pain evaluation (Karlin, Creech, Grimes, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2005). In relation to the Big Five personality factors, low Openness relates negatively to treatment success, (Hopwood, Creech, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2008), and elevated Neuroticism scores also correlate with increased pain levels among individuals in hospital or rehab settings (Ashgari & Nicholas, 2006; Nitch & Boon, 2004). In contrast to these prior studies, this study identifies correlates in a relatively high-functioning population (college students) …


Older Adults And Online Social Networking: Relating Issues Of Attitudes, Expertise, And Use, Elise Hernandez Aug 2011

Older Adults And Online Social Networking: Relating Issues Of Attitudes, Expertise, And Use, Elise Hernandez

HIM 1990-2015

The social transition to older adulthood can be challenging for elderly individuals and their families when isolation poses a threat to well-being. Technology is currently providing younger generations with an opportunity to stay in contact with social partners through the use of online social networking tools; it is unclear whether older adults are also taking advantage of this communication method. This study explored how older adults are experiencing online social networking. Specifically, this research addressed how older adults' attitudes towards online social networking are related to their expertise in using computers and the internet for this purpose. A survey methodological …


Investigating The Relationship Between Assertiveness And Personality Characteristics, Laura K. Kirst Aug 2011

Investigating The Relationship Between Assertiveness And Personality Characteristics, Laura K. Kirst

HIM 1990-2015

Assertiveness is a learned fundamental interpersonal communication skill that helps individuals to meet the social demands of society. Although various personality factors associated with assertiveness have previously been studied, no recently published studies were identified in the review of assertiveness literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between assertiveness and the five factors of personality (extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), self-esteem, social anxiety, and shyness to update past research findings. Participants completed the College Self-Expression Scale, the IPIP representation of the NEO PI-R, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation …


Effect Of A Human-Teacher Vs. A Robot-Teacher On Human Learning A Pilot Study, Melissa A. B. Smith Aug 2011

Effect Of A Human-Teacher Vs. A Robot-Teacher On Human Learning A Pilot Study, Melissa A. B. Smith

HIM 1990-2015

Studies about the dynamics of human-robot interactions have increased within the past decade as robots become more integrated into the daily lives of humans. However, much of the research into learning and robotics has been focused on methods that would allow robots to learn from humans and very little has been done on how and what, if possible, humans could learn from programmed robots. A between-subjects experiment was conducted, in which two groups were compared: a group where the participants learned a simple pick-and-place block task via video of a human-teacher and a group where the participants learned the same …


Stress Associated With Law Enforcement Work And Its Effect On Conjugal Relationships, Patricia S. Peace Aug 2011

Stress Associated With Law Enforcement Work And Its Effect On Conjugal Relationships, Patricia S. Peace

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in stress from associated with the occupation of law enforcement exists across the officers' relationship domains. The sample consisted of 51 participants that was comprised of both law enforcement officers and their significant others. Unlike past studies, this study included those that were married, divorced, in a civil union, single, or cohabitating. Based on past research it was hypothesized that the stress placed on officers and their significant other would be higher than that of other relationships. An anonymous survey was sent out to a several departments. …


Moral Cognition In Children An Examination Of The Possible Impact Of School Didactic Philosophies, Smit S. Shah Aug 2011

Moral Cognition In Children An Examination Of The Possible Impact Of School Didactic Philosophies, Smit S. Shah

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects that Montessori and public school environments have on the moral cognition of children and to assess the differences using modified moral dilemma stories. Through the analysis of these children's responses on moral dilemma stories this thesis reveals that there are stark and statistically significant differences in the children's responses on two of the three stories. The Montessori children scored higher on the morality level and the answers reflected altruism over authority on story one and story three. Through these results the researcher surmised that school environment can have an impact …


Predictors Of Presence In Virtual Reality, Brandon Sollins May 2011

Predictors Of Presence In Virtual Reality, Brandon Sollins

HIM 1990-2015

The subjective experience of presence is considered to be important in the treatment of anxiety disorders using virtual reality. Presence can be defined as a psychological phenomenon through which one's cognitive processes are oriented towards another world. Most of the research on presence has focused on the roles of technological factors influencing presence, while the number of studies focusing on the personality and physiological predictors are far fewer. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between various personality variables and presence, along with physiological correlates of presence when engaged in a virtual environment. The Presence Questionnaire, to determine their experience …


The Relationship Between Psychometrically-Defined Social Anxiety And Working Memory Performance, Timothy L. Paskowski May 2011

The Relationship Between Psychometrically-Defined Social Anxiety And Working Memory Performance, Timothy L. Paskowski

HIM 1990-2015

Anxiety disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed class of mental illness in the United States, and often involve abnormally high levels of stress and social fear. Despite high lifetime prevalence rates, social anxiety disorder (SAD) has remarkably low diagnosis and treatment rates. Furthermore, while individuals with other specific psychiatric disorders tend to exhibit significant neuropsychological deficits, neuropsychological functioning in individuals with SAD remains largely untested. A majority of the few existing studies concerning neuropsychological performance in SAD samples focus on specific functions, and their limited results are highly mixed. The primary objective of this investigation was to provide a …


Perceived Gender And Its Effect On Attributions Toward Avatars In The Video Game Spore, Victoria Marie Sweeney May 2011

Perceived Gender And Its Effect On Attributions Toward Avatars In The Video Game Spore, Victoria Marie Sweeney

HIM 1990-2015

In this study, 174 undergraduates from the University of Central Florida were asked to rate individual human and animal avatar features from the video game Spore on their level of femininity, masculinity, likability, and how well the feature represented them on a 7 point Likert scale of agreeability. Avatar features were presented on a neutral gray, quadruped body in two different views. It was expected that participants would show higher likability for avatar features that they perceived as corresponding to their Personal Attribute Questionnaire (PAQ) gender. Males liked feminine features approximately the same as females, however, in many categories females …


Political Conservatism And Its Effects On Memory And Basic Recall, Simon M. Caine May 2011

Political Conservatism And Its Effects On Memory And Basic Recall, Simon M. Caine

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate how conservatism affects a person's perception of everyday details. It is hypothesized that there will be a positive correlation between the participants' conservative ratings and the amount of details from the readings they recall that are also conservative. This will also mean that there will be a negative correlation between the participants scoring higher on the conservatism scale and the amount of liberal details they recall. A similar pattern is expected to be discovered pertaining to participants that identify as more liberal. How is this measured? The participants will be asked to …


Discrimination Of Arabs And Muslims In Simulated Hiring Decisions The Role Of Multiple Categorization, Perceived Job Fit, And Social Dominance, Lindsay Dhanani May 2011

Discrimination Of Arabs And Muslims In Simulated Hiring Decisions The Role Of Multiple Categorization, Perceived Job Fit, And Social Dominance, Lindsay Dhanani

HIM 1990-2015

Discrimination in hiring contexts has received a lot of attention from researchers in Industrial Organizational Psychology. However, discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in hiring contexts has been overlooked in the literature. The current study explores discrimination targeting Arabs and Muslims in the workplace. The theory of multiple categorization (Crisp & Hewstone, 1999) was applied to Arabs and Muslims in order to determine the relative effect of national origin and religious affiliation. Perceived job fit (Heilman, 1983) was also examined using an airport security position and a shipping and receiving clerk position. Participants rated mock resumes on several measures of hireability …


The Relationship Between Genre Choice Of Music And Altruistic Behavior, Christine Hippler May 2011

The Relationship Between Genre Choice Of Music And Altruistic Behavior, Christine Hippler

HIM 1990-2015

Extensive research has documented the relationship between listening to certain genres of music and negative effects on social behavior such as aggressive and antisocial behavior. The present study explored whether there are genres of music associated with altruism. Altruistic behavior is defined as behavior that is consistently more caring, helpful, considerate of other's feelings, and self- sacrificing. These behaviors promote our ability to thrive as a community. Yet, few studies have addressed the relationship between music and altruism. Data was collected from 608 college students who completed a self-report altruism scale, music preference measure, the Marlowe Crowne social desirability scale, …


Relationships Among Child Abuse Experiences, Social Support, And Academic Success, Amanda Marie Havill May 2011

Relationships Among Child Abuse Experiences, Social Support, And Academic Success, Amanda Marie Havill

HIM 1990-2015

Nonetheless, understanding the childhood experiences that individuals bring with them into their later lives still may be important in fostering the best possible academic outcomes.; Previous research indicated that childhood abuse experiences are important factors in determining the length and achievement of individuals' academic careers (Braver, Bumberry, Green, & Rawson, 1992). Several additional studies suggested that there is a relationship between childhood abuse experiences and social support (i.e., parental, peer, and teacher; Ezzell, Swenson, & Brondino, 2000; Goebbels, Nichols, Walsh, & De Vries, 2008). Although these relationships were documented, few studies examined the relationships between childhood abuse experiences, social support, …


Relationships Of Combined Parenting Styles Of Step And Biological Parents In Stepfamily Relationship Formation And Emerging Adult Stepchildren's Adjustment, Saarah Kison May 2011

Relationships Of Combined Parenting Styles Of Step And Biological Parents In Stepfamily Relationship Formation And Emerging Adult Stepchildren's Adjustment, Saarah Kison

HIM 1990-2015

Previous stepfamily research suggested that the parenting styles of biological parents and stepparents are related to children's behavioral adjustment. Scant research also provided evidence of the significance of combined parenting styles on emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. In conjunction with this literature, the scope of the current study served four purposes. First, the current study examined the degree to which parenting styles predict emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. Second, the degree to which biological parent and stepparent parenting styles predict the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships was examined. Third, the degree to which the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships predict …


The Effects Of Alcohol Based Cues Virtual Reality Versus Guided Imagery, Nicole Labriola May 2011

The Effects Of Alcohol Based Cues Virtual Reality Versus Guided Imagery, Nicole Labriola

HIM 1990-2015

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Imagery have been utilized in psychological practices and treatment. VR has recently been the focus of research with treatments for post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and phobias, among other social and behavioral issues. VR allows the researcher to create realistic controlled environments in which they are able to manipulate the experiment. Imagery permits the individual to imagine and recall scenarios from their past in order to create a more personal environment. This experiment aimed to expand upon VR practices and treatment in regards to alcohol research. In this experiment, 70 participants, 39 …


Pre-Screen Of Traits That Lead To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Krystal A. Lee May 2011

Pre-Screen Of Traits That Lead To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Krystal A. Lee

HIM 1990-2015

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that is affecting many lives and families. Since it is believed that over 50% of Americans will experience a traumatic event and 25% will experience multiple traumatic events, PTSD is an issue that cannot be overlooked. Although PTSD is most commonly associated with war victims, the official definition of PTSD was stated in the DSM-IV as "an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience or that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury or other threat to one's physical integrity; or witness to an event that involves death, injury, or a threat …


The Role Of Attachment In The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment And Later Emotional And Behavioral Functioning, Amanda F. Lowell May 2011

The Role Of Attachment In The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment And Later Emotional And Behavioral Functioning, Amanda F. Lowell

HIM 1990-2015

Childhood maltreatment is an experience that is likely to have lasting effects on individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning throughout their lifetimes. In particular, childhood maltreatment often is implicated in the etiology of numerous unfavorable psychological outcomes. Other research also suggested that there is a relationship between child maltreatment and the style of attachment that individuals exhibit post-abuse. Lastly, an association exists between individuals' attachment styles and their emotional and behavioral functioning. Despite substantial documentation of these relationships, few studies examine childhood maltreatment, attachment, and emotional and behavioral functioning collectively. As a result, this study examined the relationships among childhood maltreatment, …


Intolerance Of Ambiguity And Gender Differences Between Humanists And Normativists, Jorge I. Mendoza May 2011

Intolerance Of Ambiguity And Gender Differences Between Humanists And Normativists, Jorge I. Mendoza

HIM 1990-2015

A study was conducted to test Tomkins' Polarity theory (1963) on the psychological basis for being ideologically liberal or conservative and its relationship with intolerance of ambiguity and gender differences. Normativism, the conservative orientation, was found to have a positive relationship with intolerance for ambiguity. Males were found to be generally less humanist than females. Theoretical background and relevant research is discussed. Suggested applications of this study are to political persuasion, voting behavior, and the psychology of partisanship. This study intends to contribute to the literature on the psychology of ideology, political behavior and ideological differences between men and women.


The Relationship Between Substance Abuse And Identity Development, Joshua J. Mester May 2011

The Relationship Between Substance Abuse And Identity Development, Joshua J. Mester

HIM 1990-2015

This research examined the relationship between substance use and identity variables. The sample consisted of 76 students undergraduate psychology students. Relationships were found between identity variables and both alcohol and marijuana usage. People with a foreclosed identity status tended to have the lowest rates of substance use, while people in the moratorium identity status tended to have the highest rates. The hypotheses that identity variables would predict substance usage above and beyond psychological adjustment, and that identity distress symptoms would predict substance use beyond other identity development variables alone, was mostly not confirmed. The strongest and most consistent predictor of …


Missing The Consequences Misperceptions Of The 1967 Six-Day Israeli-Arab War, Jonathan Miniello May 2011

Missing The Consequences Misperceptions Of The 1967 Six-Day Israeli-Arab War, Jonathan Miniello

HIM 1990-2015

In recent times, the issues surrounding the "67 borders" have become part of the public debate. In recent speeches, President Obama has suggested that Israel should return to pre-1967 borders with "land-swaps" in exchange for some form of peace with the Palestinians living within current Israeli territory. The validity of Obama's suggestion has been questioned by both members of the political left and right and in the opinion of this author, with considerable merit. However, the ultimate judgment on the validity of Obama's suggestion should be based on a study encompassing the decisions, both correct and flawed, of the leaders …


Examining The Relationship Between Female Parents With Low Perceived Control And Adolescent Child Stress, Brendan P. Monaghan May 2011

Examining The Relationship Between Female Parents With Low Perceived Control And Adolescent Child Stress, Brendan P. Monaghan

HIM 1990-2015

Adolescence is a stressful time for many children. Changes in their environment or changes in social situations are some typical stressors that an adolescent child might encounter. Interactions with parents can also be a stressor for a child. Previous research has shown that a risk factor for a parent using harsh parenting techniques is perceived control. Parents who have low perceived control are at a higher risk to engage in physical parenting techniques or child abuse. This study included 198 middle school students and their female parent or guardian pairs (296 total participants), with the adolescent participants ranging in age …


Associations Between Positive Health Behaviors And Psychological Distress, Marlaine Marie Monroig May 2011

Associations Between Positive Health Behaviors And Psychological Distress, Marlaine Marie Monroig

HIM 1990-2015

Research examining the relationship between psychological distress and health behaviors is limited, as most of these studies examine one type of psychological distress and relate it to one type of health behavior. To address this limitation, an exploratory study was conducted that included online self-report measures of a wide range of positive health behaviors (Health Behavior Checklist; HBC) and a wide range of different types of psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI). Participants were 762 undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida (55% female). Results revealed that the total BSI score showed statistically significant negative correlations with the HBC …


An Evaluation Of Aquatic Therapy As A Treatment For Lower Back Pain, Daniel A. Olson May 2011

An Evaluation Of Aquatic Therapy As A Treatment For Lower Back Pain, Daniel A. Olson

HIM 1990-2015

Lower back pain (LBP) is a medical condition that will affect most of us at some point in our lives. Several medical causes have been identified for LBP, yet the large majority of LBP patients do not receive a specific diagnosis. These patients use up a large majority of health care resources, and accumulate billions of dollars in medical costs in countries throughout the globe. In recent years, an increasing focus has been placed on the idea that aquatic therapy may be an effective therapy for LBP patients. Exercise therapy has already proven itself as an effective means for treating …


Ibully: The Impact Of Gender Of Bully And Victim On Perception Of Cyberbullying And Its Consequences, Christopher Sharpe May 2011

Ibully: The Impact Of Gender Of Bully And Victim On Perception Of Cyberbullying And Its Consequences, Christopher Sharpe

HIM 1990-2015

In today's technologically sophisticated world, people have many electronic methods of exchanging information and communicating. Unfortunately, these methods are not always used in positive ways; they can also be used to convey aggression and bullying. Recently, such acts of aggression have been labeled many things from cyberbullying to online social cruelty, and have received much media attention due to their tragic consequences including victim suicide. This study explores the impact of victim and bully gender in relation to perception of bully likability, punishment, impact on victim, and victim responses. Participants reviewed a Cyberbullying scenario in which the gender of the …


A Comparison Of Traditional And Nontraditional College Students' Stress And Its Relationship To Their Time Management And Overall Psychological Adjustment, Debra Stagman May 2011

A Comparison Of Traditional And Nontraditional College Students' Stress And Its Relationship To Their Time Management And Overall Psychological Adjustment, Debra Stagman

HIM 1990-2015

The academic demands of college can be strenuous. Nontraditional students in particular may be at risk for role conflict and overload. This study examines levels of academic stressors and reactions to stressors between traditional and nontraditional undergraduate college students in order to investigate the relationships between academic stress, time management behaviors and overall psychological adjustment between the two groups. Participants completed Gadzella's (1991) Student-Life Stress Inventory, Time Management Behaviors Scale (Macan, Shahani, Dipboye, & Phillips, 1990) and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (Derogatis, 1994). Results reveal significant differences between traditional and nontraditional students on a subscale of the Time Management Behavior …