Digital Commons Network^™

Multi-Sensory Emotion Recognition With Speech And Facial Expression, Qingmei Yao

Dissertations

Emotion plays an important role in human beings’ daily lives. Understanding emotions and recognizing how to react to others’ feelings are fundamental to engaging in successful social interactions. Currently, emotion recognition is not only significant in human beings’ daily lives, but also a hot topic in academic research, as new techniques such as emotion recognition from speech context inspires us as to how emotions are related to the content we are uttering.

The demand and importance of emotion recognition have highly increased in many applications in recent years, such as video games, human computer interaction, cognitive computing, and affective computing. …

Effectiveness Of Teacher-Implemented Function-Based Interventions Versus Non-Function-Based Interventions For Preschoolers, Katherine Marie Bellone

Dissertations

Disruptive behaviors occur frequently in preschool classrooms. Children who exhibit early-onset behavioral concerns in educational settings are at greater risk for negative developmental outcomes than their peers. In order to address problem behaviors in the classroom, practitioners may use functional assessment methodology to design an individualized intervention tied to the function of the behavior. Alternatively, practitioners may choose to use an evidence-based practice, not tied to behavioral function, shown to be beneficial through research. Though much research states the need for empirical comparisons between function-based interventions and non-function-based interventions, past comparisons have often been unbalanced, such that the interventions included …

Tactile Behavior In A Group Of Captive Rough-Toothed Dolphins As A Function Of Opportunities To Play With Objects, Kelly Ann Caffery

Dissertations

Cetaceans live in complex physical and social environments that are frequently changing. In contrast, the captive environment for marine mammals is often lacking in stimulation. As a result, enrichment is often used to increase species-typical behaviors and enhance the well-being of the animals. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of enrichment objects on the social behavior of a group of seven captive rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Observations of this species in the wild suggest it may have a particular affinity for tactile and object play behaviors. Therefore, these behavior categories were a primary focus …

Accessing Learning In The Adult Zebrafish With A Novel Associative Learning Task, David Joseph Jouandot Ii

Dissertations

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is accepted in the developmental and genomic communities as a model organism. However, the capacity for the zebrafish as a behavioral model has yet to be fully acknowledged. The research presented provides evidence validating the novel task, aids in gaining a better understanding of the learning processes, and identifies individual differences. The novel associative learning task differs from any present well established behavioral model and lends itself to future development. The task provides the zebrafish community with a high output behavioral task which is readily replicated and allows one researcher to test between eight …

Effects Of Food Dispersion On Dominance Related Behaviors In Garnett's Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii)?, Kyle Daniel Edens

Dissertations

Socio-ecological theorists tie primate social structure diversity to variations in habitats within which primate species reside. This premise permits laboratory researchers to investigate specific factors that influence or relate to social structure formation and maintenance. The focus of the current investigation was three fold. We first aimed to determine the relationships between traditional and non-traditional behavioral measures of dominance, then evidence for dominance hierarchy formation was examined, and various hypotheses were tested to discern if adjustments in the foraging context altered social behaviors in Garnett’s bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii). It was determined that animals likely to displace conspecifics were …

Power Of Speech Styles: A Relational Framing Perspective, Michael Lewis King

Dissertations

This study advances understanding of powerful and powerless language effects by incorporating a relational framing perspective. Relational framing theory (RFT) suggests that when messages are interpreted using a dominance frame, issues regarding persuasion, influence, and control become salient. When exchanges are framed by affiliation, however, issues of liking, attraction, and regard become salient. Power of speech style researchers have instantiated dominance-framed interactions in their experiments primarily, thus leaving affiliation-framed interactions largely ignored. Addressing this gap, this study considered the effects of relational framing differences on participants’ evaluation of speech style variations. Consistent with previous literature and in partial support for …

Toward A Model For Predicting Depression Among Veterans, Nita Aurora Magee-Cornelius

Dissertations

Major depression, identified as a leading cause of disability in the United States, is often first diagnosed by primary care providers. This disability is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and a lower quality of life. With approximately one in every three veteran diagnosed with depression and the rate of suicide increasing in the United States military (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2009), the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 items (PHQ-2) can be instrumental in identification and monitoring of depressive symptoms. The purposes of this retrospective study were to determine the prevalence of depression, as measured by the federally mandated PHQ-2 in the VA, …

Further Validation Of The Child Routines Questionnaire: Child Self Report, Christina Binder Stabler

Dissertations

There has been a lack of empirical studies on the impact of child routines on adjustment. A series of instruments, the Child Routines Questionnaires (CRQ) and the Adolescent Routines Questionnaires, were developed to assess routines in childhood. Recently, a self-report version of the CRQ was developed for children aged eight to 12. Initial validity estimates of the CRQ were weak, which may have been a result of cross-informant variance stemming from parent and child reports. The primary purpose of this study is to reevaluate the factorial and construct validity of the self-report CRQ with use of a single informant. The …

The Effects Of Direct Training And The Star Problem Solving Model On Teachers' Treatment Integrity And Generalized Use Of An Intervention, Neelima Gutti Duncan

Dissertations

Direct training procedures have been beneficial in increasing teachers’ knowledge and skills for the use of recommended intervention for target students in their classrooms. However, direct training alone has not been successful in teachers’ consistent and sustained use of the intervention for the target student and the generalized use of the intervention to non-target students, novel settings, and problem behaviors is relatively unknown. The present study examined the effects of direct training and a cognitive based problem solving model (the STAR problem solving model) on teachers’ use of specific, labeled praise (SLP) directed to both target and non-target students. Participants …

The Use Of Time-Out With Escape Extinction To Reduce Noncompliance Maintained By Escape Or Attention, Shelly Renee Benshoof

Dissertations

The present study examined the effectiveness of Time-Out with Escape Extinction (TO-EE) to reduce escape-maintained noncompliance and attention-maintained noncompliance through the use of four contingency reversal designs in a clinical setting. Four parent-child dyads served as participants. Screening procedures identified four children with low levels of compliance to first time issued, parent instructions. Functional analysis procedures identified two children who exhibited escape-maintained noncompliance and two children who exhibited attention-maintained noncompliance to serve as participants. Parents were trained in the implementation of screening, functional analysis, baseline, TO-EE, and contingency reversal procedures. Results indicated that TO-EE is effective at establishing compliance levels …

The Effects Of Teacher Praise On Engagement And Work Completion Of Students Of Typical Development, Brandon Joseph Richard

Dissertations

The current study investigated the effects of teacher praise on engagement and work completion of students of typical development. Four students (grades two through four) and their teachers served as participants during the study. Teachers provided specific labeled praise or general praise if students met the engagement criteria while completing math worksheets. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design with a crossover element served to evaluate the differential effects of specific labeled praise or general praise for one pair of students. A concurrent multiple baseline across participants design with a crossover element was used for the remaining pair. A 10-second …

Effects Of Check-In/Check-Out With And Without Access To Feedback From A Daily Behavior Report Card On The Levels Of Appropriate Behavior In Secondary School Students, Nichole Marie Weakley

Dissertations

Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is a Tier 2 behavioral intervention typically used in combination with a Daily Behavior Report Card (DBRC) to provide systematic feedback about a student’s behavior at the beginning and end of each school day. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CICO with and without feedback on a DBRC for increasing appropriate behavior and decreasing disruptive behavior in students presenting with behavioral concerns in the classroom. Using a multiple baseline, counterbalanced across participants, the intervention was implemented with four secondary students considered to be at-risk for developing more significant problem behaviors. Prior to …

Can Psychopathic Traits Contribute To Success In Adolescence? Relations Between Boldness, Meanness, Disinhibition, And Adaptive Functioning, Matthew David Guelker

Dissertations

Psychopathy, though frequently couched as a distinctive set of traits with violent and aggressive behavioral consequences (i.e., Hart, Kropp, & Hare, 1988; McCord & McCord, 1964; Millon & Davis, 1998), was presented in one of the original conceptualizations as a set of specific traits (i.e., emotional unresponsiveness and behavioral deviance) that could manifest as charm, confidence, and social dominance without resulting in criminality and aggression (Cleckley, 1941, 1988). More recently, Patrick, Fowles, and Krueger (2009) developed the Triarchic Conceptualization of psychopathy that differentiates underlying components of psychopathy into boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. The factor structure of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure …

The Effects Of Choice Versus No-Choice Of Task Sequence On Task Engagement, Britney Nicole Burton

Dissertations

The purpose of the current investigation was to explore the differential effects of three choice-related conditions on the task engagement exhibited by four elementary-aged students in their regular education classrooms. The conditions examined included a No-Choice (NC) condition, a Choice of Task Sequence (CTS) condition, and a Choice of Reward (CR condition). In the NC condition, participants completed two tasks in a specified order; in the CTS condition, participants selected the order in which they completed two tasks; and in the CR condition, participants selected a preferred item or activity after completing two tasks in a specified order and demonstrating …

Mortality Salience And Worldview Defense, Toni Brooke Merkey

Dissertations

Research generated from Terror Management Theory has demonstrated that reminding participants of their eventual death increases self-esteem striving and worldview defense (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon, Arndt, & Schimel, 2004). The hypothesis in the present study is that individuals higher in emotion dysregulation will engage in higher levels of worldview defense than those lower in emotion dysregulation. This hypothesis was based on the assumption that individuals high in emotion dysregulation will have a greater need to regulate their emotions by engaging in worldview defense after being asked to think about their own death than will non-emotionally dysregulated individuals. To test this hypothesis, …

Increasing Positive Interactions Between Staff And Individuals With Disabilities: The Impact Of Training On Acquisition And Maintenance, Kimberly Anne Martell

Dissertations

The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of direct training to increase the rate of positive interactions between direct care staff (DCS) and individuals with developmental disabilities who reside in intermediate care facilities. Specifically, this study evaluated whether real-time prompts delivered via a one-way radio would result in immediate and sustained increases in rates of DCS positive interactions. Additionally, this study evaluated the link between increased rates of DCS positive interactions and concomitant decreases in residents’ challenging behaviors. A multiple baseline design across participants was implemented to assess DCS rates of positive and negative interactions. …

Understanding Captive-Takers Motivations, Methods And Targets, Jean Garner Larned

Dissertations

Understanding Captive-Takers Motivations, Methods and Targets is the ultimate goal in order to help those who train, manage and prevent hostage taking events which include police officers, negotiators, recovery personnel, academics and psychologists. The overall lack of literature relating to the topic of captive-taker motivations is another impetus for this dissertation. There is a dearth of scholarly material in any of the main areas of understanding kidnapping/captive-taking/hostage-taking from the perspective of the perpetrator within law enforcement, psychology, private sector or academia. It is anticipated that this research study and the data garnered from it will assist academics, psychologists, private corporations, …

Movement Ecology Of An Intercontinental Migratory Bird During Spring Stopover, Emily Beth Cohen

Dissertations

Movement ecology is a component of nearly all aspects of animal behavior and an animal’s decision to move is likely influenced by a complex combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. Therefore, an examination of the causes and consequences of organismal movement provides a conceptual framework for understanding complex behavioral strategies. My dissertation research is focused on the movement ecology of an intercontinental migratory songbird during spring migration. I adopted experimental approaches to study the factors influencing how a songbird migrant, red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus), makes decisions in unfamiliar landscapes from the initiation of spring stopover.

I simulated the …

Behavioral Cues Associated With Lies Of Omission And Of Commission: An Experimental Investigation, Brianna Ratliff

Dissertations

Deception is a universal communication behavior across and within species. In humans, the purpose of verbal deception, or lying, is to intentionally mislead, and this behavior can be intuitively broken down into two unique categories based on the method used to mask the truth: omission and commission. Lies of omission involve the intentional exclusion of important information, whereas lies of commission involve the intentional generation of false information. Because these two types of deception involve contrasting methods of delivery, it is possible that lies of omission and lies of commission could result in differing behavioral presentations. Accordingly, the purpose of …

Classwide Functional Analysis And Comparison Of Function-Based Interventions With Preschoolers, Veena Yamasani Poole

Dissertations

Few studies have used experimental functional analysis procedures and function-based treatments using the class as a unit of analysis. Two kindergarten classrooms, one Head Start classroom and their teachers participated in the study. Both the assessment and intervention included teacher-implemented functional analyses and intervention using the class as the unit of analysis. Functional assessment procedures included a direct-descriptive screening observation, teacher interviews, and functional analyses. Assessment data were used to develop function-based interventions. An alternating treatment design with a verification phase was used to evaluate treatment effects. Function-based interventions, specifically, differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviors (DRA), resulted in decreases in …

Does Psychopathy Predict Desirability In Speed Dating Situations? A Social Relations Analysis, Kathleen Tucker Payne

Dissertations

Psychopathy is a multifaceted construct that can lead to a number of consequences including many that could interfere with interpersonal relations and romantic attractions. The speed-dating paradigm allows researchers to study various aspects of interpersonal relations. The present study examined how the two-factor structure of psychopathy, as measured by the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996), may influence evaluations of initial romantic attraction during speed-dating events. Factor I, or “fearless dominance,” is characterized by the affective and interpersonal aspects of psychopathy, whereas factor II on the PPI represents “impulsive antisociality” and is characterized by the more antisocial features …

A Moderational Model Investigating Child Temperament, Executive Functioning, And Contextual Predictors Of Externalizing Behaviors In Preschoolers, Ferne Arlene Pinard

Dissertations

Child externalizing behavioral problems (e.g., ADHD symptoms and aggressive behaviors) often appear early in life, are relatively stable, and are associated with maladaptive outcomes in many domains of functioning. Research has shown that, for a subset of children who demonstrate these early behavioral patterns, the course is often more pervasive and persistent. Consequently, a better understanding of externalizing behavioral problems during the preschool period is essential. The current study examined whether biologically-based correlates (i.e., child temperament and executive functioning/neurocognitive attention; EF/Attention) would moderate the relation between the contextual correlates (i.e., socioeconomic status and parenting practices) and externalizing behaviors (i.e., ADHD …

Utility Of The Inventory Of Callous-Unemotional Traits In Adolescent Offenders And Non-Offenders: An Item Response Theory Analysis, Lisa Laurence Ansel

Dissertations

The current study utilized Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses to examine the item functioning of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; Frick, 2003) in the assessment of psychopathy-linked traits in adolescents. Self-report psychopathy measures, such as the ICU, have become increasingly common for use with adolescents. However, questions remain regarding their reliability and utility for accurately assessing these traits (Poythress, Dembo, Wareham, & Greenbaum, 2006). IRT analyses offer unique methods of investigating test and item functioning in regards to the underlying trait an inventory purportedly assesses. The current study examined and compared the item functioning of the ICU for the …

Circadian Rhythm And Vigorous Activity: Do They Make A Difference In Executive Function?, Janie Sue Ryland

Dissertations

PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a federally mandated accountability system based on standards, attendance, and dropout rates has forced educational leaders to explore new avenues of student improvement. Research suggests that all three factors are impacted by scheduling preferences that are relative to time of day. The aim of this study was to extend evidence of executive function as it is impacted by time of day and diurnal preference when exposed to vigorous exercise conditions. Data were collected from a sample that included 100 sixth graders (60 females and 40 males) during the spring semester …

An Electrophysiological Investigation Of The Cognitive Processes Underlying Provoked Aggression In Humans, Jennifer Renee Fanning

Dissertations

Recently, the event-related potential (ERP) technique has been applied to questions of social information processing. Several studies have examined standard and social information processing variables in aggressive individuals, but little is known about the neurophysiological processes that take place in real-time during an aggressive encounter. In this study, 48 men and women high and low in aggression history exchanged noise blasts of varying intensity with a (fictitious) opponent in a modified version of a well-validated laboratory-controlled behavioral measure of aggression, the Taylor Reaction-time Task (Taylor, 1967), while ERPs were simultaneously being recorded at scalp sites. Mixed model ANOVAs were used …

The Relations Among Laterality, Cortisol, And Approach-Avoidance Behavior In Garnett's Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii), David Burton Hanbury

Dissertations

Many studies to date have demonstrated that approach and avoidance behaviors are processed asymmetrically in the brain and may be reflected in measures such as handedness. The purpose of this study was to extend work in primates on this topic to Garnett’s bushbaby, a prosimian species. Furthermore, to determine whether measures in addition to handedness relate to approach-avoidance behavior, lateralized differences in tympanic membrane temperature were assessed. Cortisol measures were also obtained to determine whether it was related approach-avoidance behavior and handedness. Eleven captive-born Garnett’s bushbabies (Otolemur garnettii) were evaluated for handedness and responsiveness to novelty. Moreover, the …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Two Pbis Token Reinforcement Systems On Appropriately-Engaged Behavior, Kathryn Marie Menousek

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of two token reinforcement systems typically used in Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) within-class procedures on Appropriately Engaged Behavior (AEB). A nonconcurrent multiple baseline comparison across four classrooms was utilized to assess and compare each classroom’s mean percentage of observed intervals of appropriately engaged behavior across intervention phases and to assess for crossover effects. Each classroom’s mean percentage of observed intervals of AEB across two different intervention phases, including a store and a lottery, was assessed and compared. Results suggested that both interventions (i.e., store and lottery) were …

Differential Reinforcement Of Alternative Behavior In Preschool Settings: Evaluation Of A Pre-Teaching Component, Matthew William Legray

Dissertations

This current study investigated the effectiveness of pre-teaching behavioral expectations prior to the implementation of a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) intervention. The ultimate goal of the intervention was to decrease inappropriate behavior while simultaneously increasing appropriate behavior. Intervention that included pre-teaching with DRA was compared to the implementation of DRA in isolation using single case methodology, and intervention data suggest clear differences in beneficial outcomes for each student. The current study offers preliminary data on the utility of pre-teaching behavioral expectations to students prior to intervention. By actually teaching appropriate replacement a behavior prior to intervention, students are …

Further Validation Of The Larson Driver Stress Profile, Michael Paul Moore

Dissertations

Much of the literature on unsafe driving has focused on studying the role of single variables (e.g., driving anger, sensation seeking, etc.) and the degree to which they may increase one’s propensity to engage in aggressive or otherwise risky driving behavior. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that motor vehicle accidents and accident-related behavior are sufficiently complex as to require the use of multiple predictors. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Driver Stress Profile (DSP; Larson, 1996), a brief self-report scale designed to assess four variables of interest in the driving literature. The DSP and measures of …

A Comparison Of Social Stories With And Without A Reinforcement Component, Erin Cuneo Perry

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of Social Stories ^TM (Gray, 2004) used in isolation and when combined with a reinforcement component to increase appropriate behaviors and decrease inappropriate behaviors. Treatment effects for socially inappropriate behaviors and appropriate replacement behaviors were tracked. The setting of the current study was in a school district. The diagnoses of two of the participants included Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and the other two participants were diagnosed with Autistic Disorder. All participants read a social story to their teacher prior to the time at which the target …