Education Commons^™

Comparison Of Skin Biomechanics And Skin Color In Puerto Rican And Non-Puerto Rican Women, Yadira Regueira, Jamison D. Fargo, Deborah Tiller, Kathleen Brown, Carla Clements, Barbara Beacham, Emily Brignone, Marilyn S. Sommers

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Skin biomechanics are physical properties that protect the body from injury. Little is known about differences in skin biomechanics in racial/ethnic groups and the role of skin color in these differences. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between skin biomechanics (viscoelasticity, hydration) and skin color, when controlling for demographic and health-related variables in a sample of Puerto Rican and non-Puerto Rican women.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data from 545 women in a longitudinal, observational study of skin injury in Puerto Rico and the United States. Data included measures of skin viscoelasticity, skin …

The Role Of Psychological Inflexibility And Self-Compassion In Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Clinical Perfectionism, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer L. Barney, Tyson S. Barrett, Eric B. Lee, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

The current study examined psychological inflexibility and self-compassion as theoretically relevant mediators and moderators of outcomes following acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for clinical perfectionism. Fifty-three participants with clinical perfectionism were randomized to either a 10-session ACT condition or a 14-week waitlist control condition (only 39 completed the post treatment assessment). Outcomes tested include concern over mistakes, doubting of actions, personal standards, quality of life, symptom distress and functional impairment, and valued action. Multilevel modeling analyses showed reduced psychological inflexibility mediated the relationship between condition and higher quality of life and increased self-compassion mediated the relationship between condition and decreased …

Associations Between Relationship Maintenance Behaviors And Marital Stability In Remarriages, Ron C. Bean, Thomas Ledermann, Brian Higginbotham, Renee Vickerman Galliher

Psychology Faculty Publications

Nearly half of adults in the U.S. indicated they had a close step-relative that included stepparents, stepchildren, and other close relationships. The prevalence of stepfamilies is rapidly increasing and represents a population that remains largely understudied. This study explored the roles of socioemotional behaviors (positivity, negativity, and sexual interest) on marital stability for different remarriage constellations (depending on which of the couple, both partners, or neither had previous children). This study uses dyadic relationship data from 879 couples. It was hypothesized that positivity and sexual interest would be inversely related to marital instability, while negativity will be correlated with marital …

The Influence Of Perceived Parenting On Substance Initiation Among Mexican Children, Alejandro L. Vázquez, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad, Marycarmen N. Bustos Gamiño, María De Lourdes Gutierrez López, Jorge A. Villatoro Velázquez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Parents shape their children's behaviors and impact their developmental trajectories. Despite this, few studies have examined the potential relationship between child reported parenting factors and lifetime substance use and use intentions. The current study examined the potential impact of parenting factors (i.e., positive parenting, supervision, parental illicit substance use, substance-specific communication) on early substance use and intentions among Latinx children. Data for the present study utilized a representative sample of Mexican children (n = 52,171; 5th and 6th grades) who participated in a national survey on substance use. Children reported their demographics, lifetime substance use/intentions, and perceived parenting characteristic …

Exploring The Impact Of Positive Peer Views Of Girls On School Engagement In Middle School Girls, Christine E. Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused on the types of messages female middle school students receive about their gender from their peers. Specifically, it looked at microaggressions, which are sexist messages from peers, and microaffirmations, which are positive and affirming messages from peers. There were four goals of this study. First, to check if the Students Affirming Girls in Middle School scale (SAG-MS), a scale created for this study, could consistently measure microaggressions and microaffirmations. Second, to look at the relationship between when girls experience puberty and microaggressions and microaffirmations. Third, to measure any differences in the number of microaggressions and microaffirmations girls …

An Iranian Study Of Group Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Versus Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Adolescents With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder On An Optimal Dose Of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Mohammad Javad Shabani, Hamid Mohsenabadi, Abdollah Omidi, Eric B. Lee, Michael P. Twohig, Afshin Ahmadvand, Zahra Zanjani

Psychology Faculty Publications

Conducted in Iran, participants included 69 adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who were on a stable selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) dose and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)+SSRI, group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)+SSRI, or continued SSRI treatment. Assessment occurred at pre-, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up and included the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-8), Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ), and Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). ACT+SSRI and CBT+SSRI conditions demonstrated significant reductions in OCD severity that were maintained at follow-up …

Baseline Cultural Competence In Physician Assistant Students, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Paula B. Phelps, H. Cathleen Tarp

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose

Cultural competence is a critical component in health care services. The relationship between health disparities and prejudice and discrimination is well documented. Prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behavior are modifiable through training yet few programs have evidence-based training. No published data has reported on baseline levels of cultural competencies in medical trainees which is necessary for tailoring programs appropriate to the audience. This manuscript fills that gap by reporting on data from three cohorts of first-year Physician Assistant (PA) students (N = 216). We examined students’ baseline levels with special attention to differences in cultural competence constructs across age, …

Examining Quadratic Relationships Between Traits And Methods In Two Multitrait-Multimethod Models, Fred A. Hintz, Christian Geiser, G. Leonard Burns, Mateu Servera

Psychology Faculty Publications

Multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analysis is one of the most frequently employed methods to examine the validity of psychological measures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is a commonly used analytic tool for examining MTMM data through the specification of trait and method latent variables. Most contemporary CFA-MTMM models either do not allow estimating correlations between the trait and method factors or they are restricted to linear trait-method relationships. There is no theoretical reason why trait and method relationships should always be linear, and quadratic relationships are frequently proposed in the social sciences. In this article, we present two approaches for examining quadratic relations …

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms In Patients With Dementia And The Longitudinal Costs Of Informal Care In The Cache County Population, Gail B. Rattinger, Chelsea L. Sanders, Elizabeth Vernon, Sarah E. Schwartz, Stephanie Behrens, Constantine G. Lyketsos, Joann T. Tschanz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Severity of dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms contribute to increasing informal care costs. We examined which neuropsychiatric symptoms subdomains (NPS-SD) were associated with informal costs in a population-based sample.

Methods

Dementia progression and informal costs (2015 dollars) were estimated from the Cache County Dementia Progression Study. Overall NPS and specific NPS-SD were assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE with gamma-distribution/log-link) modeled the relationship between NPS-SDs and informal cost trajectories.

Results

Two hundred eighty participants (52.1% female; age M = 85.67, SD = 5.60) exhibited an adjusted cost increase of 5.6% (P = .005), 6.4% (P …

Strategies For Selecting, Managing, And Engaging Undergraduate Coauthors: A Multi-Site Perspective, Jenna L. Scisco, Jennifer A. Mccabe, Albee Therese O. Men-Doza, Marianne Fallon, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

In 2018, we delivered a symposium on publishing with undergraduate coauthors in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research (Fallon, 2018a; Fallon and Domenech Rodríguez, 2018a,b; Fallon and Scisco, 2018; McCabe and Mendoza, 2018). Based on our collective experience, we identified three common challenges: effectively selecting, managing, and engaging students throughout the publication process. We use our perspectives from different institutions (i.e., small liberal arts colleges, mid-sized regional universities, and a large research university) and evidence from past research to provide strategies to successfully meet these challenges. Ultimately, the actionable strategies we describe …

Applying And Interpreting Mixture Distribution Latent State-Trait Models, Kaylee Litson, Carly Thornhill, Christian Geiser, G. Leonard Burns, Mateu Servera

Psychology Faculty Publications

Latent state-trait (LST) models are commonly applied to determine the extent to which observed variables reflect trait-like versus state-like constructs. Mixture distribution LST (M-LST) models relax the assumption of population homogeneity made in traditional LST models, allowing researchers to identify subpopulations (latent classes) with differing trait- and state-like attributes. Applications of M-LST models are scarce, presumably because of the analysis complexity. We present a step-by-step tutorial for evaluating M-LST models based on an application to mother, father, and teacher reports of children’s inattention (n = 811). In the application, we found three latent classes for mother and father reports …

Identification And Transformation Difficulty In Problem Solving: Electrophysiological Evidence From Chunk Decomposition, Zhonglu Zhang, Yu Luo, Chaolun Wang, Christopher M. Warren, Qi Xia, Qiang Xing, Bihua Cao, Yi Lei, Hong Li

Psychology Faculty Publications

A wealth of studies have investigated how to overcome experience-based constraints in creative problem solving. One such experience-based constraint is the tendency for people to view tightly organized visual stimuli as single, unified percepts, even when decomposition of those stimuli into component parts (termed chunk decomposition) would facilitate problem solving. The current study investigates the neural underpinnings of chunk decomposition in creative problem solving by analyzing event-related potentials. In two experiments, participants decomposed Chinese characters into the character’s component elements and then used the base elements to form a new valid character. The action could require decomposing a “tight” chunk, …

Neural Correlates Of Interval Timing Deficits In Schizophrenia, Ariel W. Snowden, Catalin V. Buhusi

Psychology Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that schizophrenia (SZ) patients exhibit impairments in interval timing. The cause of timing impairments in SZ remains unknown but may be explained by a dysfunction in the fronto-striatal circuits. Although the current literature includes extensive behavioral data on timing impairments, there is limited focus on the neural correlates of timing in SZ. The neuroimaging literature included in the current review reports hypoactivation in the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), supplementary motor area (SMA) and the basal ganglia (BG). Timing deficits and deficits in attention and working memory (WM) in SZ are likely due to a dysfunction of …

Autoscore: An Open-Source Automated Tool For Scoring Listener Perception Of Speech, Stephanie A. Borrie, Tyson S. Barrett, Sarah E. Yoho Leopold

Psychology Faculty Publications

Speech perception studies typically rely on trained research assistants to score orthographic listener transcripts for words correctly identified. While the accuracy of the human scoring protocol has been validated with strong intra- and inter-rater reliability, the process of hand-scoring the transcripts is time-consuming and resource intensive. Here, an open-source computer-based tool for automated scoring of listener transcripts is built (Autoscore) and validated on three different human-scored data sets. Results show that not only is Autoscore highly accurate, achieving approximately 99% accuracy, but extremely efficient. Thus, Autoscore affords a practical research tool, with clinical application, for scoring listener intelligibility of speech.

Newborn And Infant Hearing Screening Facing Globally Growing Numbers Of People Suffering From Disabling Hearing Loss, Katrin Neumann, Shelly Chadha, George Tavartkiladze, Xingkuan Bu, Karl R. White

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recent prevalence estimates indicate that in 2015 almost half a billion people—about 6.8% of the world’s population—had disabling hearing loss and that prevalence numbers will further increase. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently estimates that at least 34 million children under the age of 15 have disabling hearing loss. Based on a 2012 WHO report, approximately 7.5 million of these children were under the age of 5 years. This review article focuses on the importance of high-quality newborn and infant hearing screening (NIHS) programs as one strategy to ameliorate disabling hearing loss as a global health problem. Two WHO resolutions …

A Web-Based Self-Guided Program To Promote Valued-Living In College Students: A Pilot Study, Jacob Firestone, Leeann Cardaciotto, Michael E. Levin, Edie Goldbacher, Peter Vernig, Laura Eubanks Gambrell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Web-based programs that focus on values, a core process within acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), may be a promising approach to cultivate positive psychosocial adjustment among undergraduates. The current study tested the usability, acceptability, and receptivity of the Living Your Values (LYV) program, a single-session, web-delivered, self-guided values intervention for undergraduates and its utility to promote valued-living and psychological wellbeing. In an undergraduate sample (N = 133), while the LVY program was deemed moderately usable, acceptability and receptivity findings were more attenuated. At follow-up (n = 98), a significant pre-intervention to follow-up increase in valued-living was evidenced both overall and …

Counseling Competencies In Audiology: A Modified Delphi Study, Alex Meibos, Karen F. Muñoz, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: Counseling practices in audiology play a critical role in helping patients and families understand, accept, and adjust to the dynamic impacts ear related disorders have on their lives. The purpose of this study was to identify what competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, and attitudes) are important for audiologists to possess to provide effective counseling in practice.

Method: A modified Delphi study design was used to survey a panel of thirty-three professionals with expertise in audiologic counseling from five different countries. In the first survey round, experts were asked to respond to three open-ended prompts. Responses were condensed and …

An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Investigating The Function Of Hoarding, Jennifer Krafft, Clarissa W. Ong, Rick A. Cruz, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examined the function of hoarding behaviors and the relations between hoarding and a series of cognitive and affective processes in the moment using ecological momentary assessment. A matched-groups design was used to compare college students with higher hoarding symptoms (n = 31) and matched controls (n = 29). The two groups did not differ in what function they reported acquiring served, and positive automatic reinforcement was the most commonly reported function in both groups. Engaging in hoarding-relevant behaviors did not predict change in positive or negative affect when controlling for previous affect. Emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance in …

Longitudinal Effects Of A 2-Year Meditation And Buddhism Program On Well-Being, Quality Of Life, And Valued Living, Brooke M. Smith, Clarissa W. Ong, Tyson S. Barrett, Ellen J. Bluett, Timothy A. Slocum, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives: Most research on mindfulness and meditation has focused on structured therapeutic interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, or meditation retreats. Such programs have received moderate empirical support for improving psychological outcomes in clinical and nonclinical populations, but there remains a paucity of research on intensive or long-term mindfulness or meditation programs for experienced practitioners, especially those that incorporate Buddhist teachings. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of a long-term integrated mindfulness/meditation and Buddhism program, Dharma in Daily Life (DIDL).

Methods: Well-being, quality of life, valued living, and theorized processes of change were …

The Potential Benefits Of Flexibility For Dissemination And Implementation: Acceptance And Commitment Therapy As An Example, Michael E. Levin, Brooke M. Smith, Gregory S. Smith

Psychology Faculty Publications

Our commentary on the article by Fixsen and Blase (2018) highlights some of the converging and diverging strategies between the Teaching-Family Model (TFM) and the dissemination and implementation of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). We focus primarily on the potential benefits of flexibility in areas including theory, methodology, and intervention protocols. Examples include the use of middle level terms, randomized controlled trial methods, protocols focused more on function than specific topography, and an open, collaborative approach to dissemination. We also note how this broader set of strategies can be made coherent and progressive through a careful connection back to contextual …

Measuring Psychological Inflexibility In Adult And Child Hearing Loss., Clarissa W. Ong, John J. Whicker, Karen F. Muñoz, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Hearing loss is a chronic condition that impacts functioning among individuals with hearing loss and caregivers of children with hearing loss. Even though treatments for hearing loss can alleviate functional impairment, psychological factors like psychological inflexibility may interfere with treatment engagement and adherence, undermining the benefits of treatment. Measuring psychological inflexibility may inform care providers’ case conceptualization, improving the quality and precision of audiological interventions. Thus, the current study aimed to develop and validate measures of psychological inflexibility in hearing loss for adults and caregivers of children with hearing loss.

Design: Participants were invited to complete an online survey. …

Evaluating The Open And Engaged Components Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In An Online Self-Guided Website: Results From A Pilot Trial, Julie M. Petersen, Jennifer Krafft, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is promising for treating a range of psychological problems. Component research can further clarify which components are needed for optimal outcomes in what contexts. Online platforms provide a highly controlled format for such research. In this pilot trial, 55 adults were randomized to: ACT-Open (i.e., acceptance, defusion components), ACT-Engaged (i.e., values, committed action), or ACT-Combined (i.e., acceptance, defusion, values, committed action). Each condition was 12 sessions over six weeks, with assessments at baseline, posttreatment, and four-week follow-up. ACT-Open, ACT-Engaged, and ACT-Combined all significantly improved from pre- to post-treatment on mental health, psychosocial functioning, and …

Does A Brief Mindfulness Training Enhance Heartfulness In Students? Results Of A Pilot Study, Myriam Rudaz, Thomas Ledermann, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

(1) Background: There is robust evidence that mindfulness trainings enhance mindfulness as operationalized in Western psychology, but evidence about their effect on aspects of heartfulness is sparse. This study seeks to test whether a brief mindfulness training enhances heart qualities, including self-compassion, gratitude, and the generation of feelings of happiness.

(2) Methods: Eighteen students enrolled in a mindfulness training that was offered as part of an interdisciplinary class. The training consisted of five training sessions and four booster sessions of 45 minutes each over the course of nine weeks. Mindfulness was measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form (FFMQ-SF) …

Preliminary Evidence Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Death Anxiety In Iranian Clients Diagnosed With Ocd, Mohammad Hassan Davazdahemami, Abolfazl Bayrami, Julie M. Petersen, Michael P. Twohig, Maryam Bakhtiyari, Mohammad Noori, Ali Kheradmand

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study investigated the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on death anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with eight adult females in Iran. The ACT protocol was conducted in 8 weekly solo sessions (45 minutes each). The results were analyzed by visual analysis method and improvement percentage. ACT resulted in decreases in death anxiety (60-80%) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (51-60%), thereby indicating promise for ACT as a treatment for OCD and death anxiety.

Psychological Inflexibility Predicts Suicidality Over Time In College Students, Jennifer Krafft, Elizabeth T. Hicks, Sallie A. Mack, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective:

It is essential to identify modifiable risk factors that can be targeted to reduce suicidal ideation (SI) and behavior in college students. Psychological inflexibility, a pattern of responding to internal experiences in a literal and rigid way, and attempting to control those experiences even when it interferes with valued living, could theoretically lead to SI or increase its intensity.

Method:

Psychological inflexibility and its component processes were tested as a predictor of SI in a longitudinal survey of college students (n = 603, age M = 20.62, 68.9% female, and 94.0% White) in a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal …

A Review Of Aaq Variants And Other Context-Specific Measures Of Psychological Flexibility, Clarissa W. Ong, Eric B. Lee, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Psychological flexibility refers to a way of interacting with internal experiences and the external environment that advances one toward chosen values whereas psychological inflexibility reflects rigid adherence to ineffective responses such that valued living is compromised. Psychological flexibility is a critical variable of interest in acceptance and commitment therapy, thus, accurate assessment of this construct is pertinent to professionals in the field. Numerous measures of psychological flexibility for specific conditions exist and the psychometric validation of each of these measures varies in breadth and depth. To orient professionals to the scope of available measures as well as their psychometric properties, …

Starting Off On The Right Foot In Acceptance And Commitment Therapy, Michael P. Twohig, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer Krafft, Jennifer L. Barney, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper describes the initial phase of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The paper begins with a review of ACT’s theoretical orientation. Basic empirical support for ACT and its model is covered. A case description follows that highlights the initial phases of ACT. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for starting therapy using ACT.

Clinical impact statement:

Question: The goal of this paper is to present the manner in which ACT is initiated. Findings: There are specific theoretical elements of ACT that suggest certain approaches be taken at the beginning of therapy. Meaning: Before starting ACT with a new client, …

Assessing The Effects Of Motivative Augmentals, Pay-For-Performance, And Implicit Verbal Responding On Cooperation, Sharlet D. Rafacz, Ramona A. Houmanfar, Gregory S. Smith, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Motivative augmentals are rules or statements that temporarily change the effectiveness of a consequence, similar to establishing operations for nonverbal consequences (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001). Many communications by an organization's leadership may function as such and alter the function of stimuli in the workplace, which in turn may influence employee behaviors (Houmanfar & Rodrigues, 2012). There is a lack of experimental research regarding this, however, particularly under different organizational pay systems (i.e., financial contingencies), which have been repeatedly shown to influence performance (e.g., Gupta & Shaw, 1998; Locke, Feren, McCaleb, Shaw, & Denny, 1980). The current study sought to …

Next Steps For Training And Education In Professional Psychology: Advancing The Science And Expanding Our Reach, Debora J. Bell, Jennifer L. Callahan, Georita M. Frierson, Theodore R. Burnes, Susan Lynn Crowley, Stephen R. Mccutcheon

Psychology Faculty Publications

As TEPP’s new editorial team begins their term, the authors discuss their vision for the journal as a forum for thoughtful conceptual examination and sound empirical investigation of current issues in health service psychology (HSP) education and training. The editorial team articulates three primary goals for the journal, including (1) engaging the broad training community in sharing its best conceptual and empirical work relevant to the varied levels, settings, and areas of education and training in HSP; (2) advancing the science of education and training through strong empirical research; and (3) expanding our emphasis on the sociocultural context in which …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Clinical Perfectionism, Clarissa W. Ong, Eric B. Lee, Jennifer Krafft, Carina L. Terry, Tyson S. Barrett, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Clinical perfectionism is characterized by imposing excessively high standards on oneself and experiencing severe distress when standards are not met. It has been found to contribute to the development and maintenance of various clinical presentations including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and eating disorders. The present study tested the efficacy of ten weekly individual sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) relative to a waitlist control on clinical perfectionism and global outcomes among 53 individuals with clinical perfectionism. ACT is a process-based therapy that targets maladaptive underlying processes (e.g., rigid adherence to unrealistic high standards) rather than symptom topography (e.g., anxiety, depression). Participants …