Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Graduate Student Mental Health And Service Utilization By Gender, Race, And Year In School, Mikhila N. Wildey, Meghan E. Fox, Kelly A. Machnik, Deborah Ronk

Peer Reviewed Articles

Objective: The current study explored differences in mental health problems, services utilization, and support of graduate students by gender, race/ethnicity, and year in school.

Participants: Participants consisted of 734 graduate students from a large, Midwestern university.

Methods: Graduate students answered a series of questionnaires in fall 2021 assessing their mental health, services utilization, and perception of services.

Results: Women (vs men) and participants in their second year and beyond (vs first year) reported greater mental health problems, negative impact of the pandemic, and more services utilization. White (vs non-White) participants reported greater negative impact of the pandemic, greater services utilization, …

The Socratic Method: Empirical Assessment Of A Psychology Capstone Course, Lawrence R. Burns, Paul L. Stephenson, Katy Bellamy

Peer Reviewed Articles

Although students make some epistemological progress during college, most graduate without developing meaning-making strategies that reflect an understanding that knowledge is socially constructed. Using a pre-test–post-test design and a within-subjects 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA, this study reports on empirical findings which support the Socratic method of teaching as effective in challenging and changing psychology capstone students’ levels of epistemological maturity as measured by the Learning Environment Preferences survey and Perry’s model of intellectual maturity.

The Development Of An Undergraduate Study Abroad Program: Nicaragua And The Psychology Of Social Inequality, Ellen I. Shupe

Peer Reviewed Articles

In its recent report outlining principles for teaching undergraduate students in psychology, the American Psychological Association Board of Educational Affairs recommended including experiential learning in the curriculum and identified study abroad opportunities as being particularly valuable. Unfortunately, although American universities offer hundreds of faculty-led study abroad programs, only a handful of the programs offer coursework in psychology. In this article, I describe a program in Nicaragua on the psychology of social inequality I developed and have been leading for the past 10 years. I begin by describing the structure of the program and discuss my pedagogical approach and goals for …

Does The Importance Of Parent And Peer Relationships For Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction Vary Across Cultures?, Beate Schwarz, Boris Mayer, Gisela Trommsdorff, Asher Ben-Arieh, Mihaela Friedlmeier, Katarzyna Lubiewska, Ramesh Mishra, Karl Peltzer

Peer Reviewed Articles

This study investigated whether the associations between (a) the quality of the parent-child relationship and peer acceptance and (b) early adolescents’ life satisfaction differed depending on the importance of family values in the respective culture. As part of the Value of Children Study, data from a sub-sample of N = 1,034 adolescents (58% female, M age = 13.62 years, SD = 0.60 years) from 11 cultures was analyzed. Multilevel analyses revealed a positive relation between parental admiration and adolescents’ life satisfaction independent of cultural membership. Further, the higher the importance of family values in a culture, the weaker was the …

Good And Bad Group Performance: Same Process—Different Outcomes, R. S. Tindale, Christine M. Smith, Amanda Dykema-Engblade, Katharina Kluwe

Peer Reviewed Articles

Much of the research on small group performance shows that groups tend to outperform individuals in most task domains. However, there is also evidence that groups sometimes perform worse than individuals, occasionally with severe negative consequences. Theoretical attempts to explain such negative performance events have tended to point to characteristics of the group or the group process that were different than those found for better performing groups. We argue that typical group processes can be used to explain both good and bad group performance in many instances. Results from a pair of experiments focusing on two different task domains are …

Sex Differences In Sports Across 50 Societies, Robert O. Deaner, Brandt A. Smith

Peer Reviewed Articles

Sports have been frequently explored in cross-cultural studies, yet scant attention has been paid to female participation. Here we coded the occurrence of sports and related activities for males and females in the societies comprising the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) probability sample. We then tested several predictions derived from evolutionary theory. As predicted, in all 50 societies with documented sports, there were more male sports than female sports; hunting and combat sports were almost exclusively male activities; and the sex difference in sports was greater in patriarchal than in nonpatriarchal societies. These results show that a robust sex difference …

Compatibility: An Experimental Demonstration, Thomas R. Herzog, Lauren J. Hayes, Rebecca C. Applin, Anna M. Weatherly

Peer Reviewed Articles

Are people sensitive to the level of compatibility in everyday settings? We manipulated via scenario both a specified goal and a setting typically associated with a given goal. Settings were either typically compatible with the specified goal or not. Different participants rated either compatibility (as a direct indicator of sensitivity to manipulated compatibility) or preference for being in the setting (as an indirect indicator of sensitivity). For both measures, mean ratings were significantly greater in the high-compatibility conditions than in the low-compatibility conditions. We conclude that people are indeed sensitive to the level of compatibility in everyday settings. These findings …

Perceived And Capitalization Support Are Substantially Similar: Implications For Social Support Theory, Ryan C. Shorey, Brian Lakey

Peer Reviewed Articles

Social support is typically thought to protect people from bad events, whereas capitalization support augments people’s reactions to good events. Because social support and capitalization support apply to different classes of events, most theory predicts that measures of perceived support and capitalization support should be empirically distinct. We tested a new theory that hypothesizes that the main effects between perceived support and mental health do not reflect stress and coping primarily, but instead reflect ordinary, yet affectively consequential conversations and shared activities, some of which include positive events. According to this view, perceived support and capitalization support should be substantially …

Reactions To Participating In Dating Violence Research: Are Our Questions Distressing Participants?, Ryan C. Shorey, Tara L. Cornelius, Kathryn M. Bell

Peer Reviewed Articles

In recent years, there has been increased research focus on dating violence, producing important information for reducing these violent relationships. Yet Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are often hesitant to approve research on dating violence, citing emotional distress of participants as a possible risk of participation. However, no known research has examined the reactions of research participants to questions about dating violence. The current study examined the reactions among college students to completing a self-report measure on dating violence. Results showed that participants reported numerous positive experiences as a result of their research participation, with only mildly increased negative emotional reactions …

Preference And Tranquility For Houses Of Worship, Thomas R. Herzog, Lauren E. Gray, Amy M. Dunville, Angela M. Hicks, Emily A. Gilson

Peer Reviewed Articles

Participants rated houses of worship for one of seven variables: preference, tranquility, age, visual richness, building care, potential for recovery from fatigued attention, and potential for reflection. Factor analysis of the preference ratings yielded four content categories: “contemporary,” “traditional,” “unusual architecture,” and “older red brick churches.” Preference was positively correlated with visual richness and building care in the contemporary and traditional categories and had a positive partial correlation with age in the traditional category. Tranquility was positively correlated with preference, building care, recovery, and reflection in the contemporary category but only with reflection in the traditional category. Tranquility was rated …

Houses Of Worship As Restorative Environments, Thomas R. Herzog, Pierre Ouellette, Jennifer R. Rolens, Angela M. Koenigs

Peer Reviewed Articles

This study of the restorative benefits of visiting a house of worship was based on questionnaire responses by 781 participants. Factor analysis of motivations for visiting yielded five factors, three of which matched those from a previous study (spirituality, beauty, and being away) and two new ones (contemplation and obligation). Factor analysis of activities at a house of worship yielded four factors along a gradient corresponding roughly to degree of organized religious practice: rituals, traditional activities, asking, and nonreligious activities. Spirituality and asking (for help or forgiveness) were the strongest predictors of positive outcomes, whereas nonreligious activities predicted negative outcomes. …

Enacted Support’S Links To Negative Affect And Perceived Support Are More Consistent With Theory When Social Influences Are Isolated From Trait Influences, Brian Lakey, Edward Orehek, Kate L. Hain, Meredith Vanvleet

Peer Reviewed Articles

Social support theory typically explains perceived support’s link to mental health as reflecting the role of specific supportive actions (i.e., enacted support). Yet enacted support typically is not linked to mental health and perceived support as predicted by theory. The links are examined among enacted support, affect, and perceived support when links reflected (a) aspects of support and affect that generalized across relationship partners and time (i.e., trait influences) and (b) aspects that reflected specific relationship partners (i.e., social influences). Multivariate generalizability analyses indicated that enacted support was linked to low negative affect as predicted by theory only when correlations …

Environmental Fit: A Model For Assessing And Treating Problem Behavior Associated With Curricular Difficulties In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Edward G. Carr, Sanja I. Cale, Jamie S. Owen-Deschryver

Peer Reviewed Articles

Theoretical considerations suggest that problem behavior should increase when a child’s competency does not match the curricular demands of the environment (i.e., when there is poor environmental fit). In the present study, environmental fit was examined for six children with autism spectrum disorders. Results indicated that the children exhibited high rates of problem behavior associated with poor motor or academic competency. Curricular modifications resulted in (a) a decrease in the level of problem behavior, (b) an increase in the percentage of task steps completed correctly, and (c) improved affect. Adults who worked with the children reported ease of intervention techniques. …

Perceived Danger And Judged Likelihood Of Restoration, Thomas R. Herzog, Ashley E. Rector

Peer Reviewed Articles

The authors investigated the impact of perceived danger on judged likelihood of restoration. Participants imagined that they were in a state of directed attention fatigue and then that they were taking a walk in a potentially restorative setting. The authors varied two properties of the setting in a factorial design. The setting was either a nature trail or a busy urban street, and it contained either no obvious source of danger or an ominous stalker. Measures of perceived danger and of judged likelihood of restoration were obtained. For both types of measures, in the low-danger condition the two setting categories …

Differential Effects Of A Tier Two Behavior Intervention Based On Function Of Problem Behavior, Kent Mcintosh, Amy L. Campbell, Deborah R. Carter, Celeste R. Dickey

Peer Reviewed Articles

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a tier two daily behavior card intervention and differential effects based on function of problem behavior. The participants were 36 elementary school students nominated for additional intervention beyond universal School-Wide Positive Behavior Support. Measures included standardized behavior rating scales and rate of office discipline referrals before and after 8 weeks of intervention. A multivariate analysis of variance was used, and results showed statistically significant differences in response to intervention based on teacher-identified function of problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of considering function of behavior in selecting tier …

Context-Based Assessment And Intervention For Problem Behavior In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sanja I. Cale, Edward G. Carr, Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Jamie S. Owen-Deschryver

Peer Reviewed Articles

The present study used a context-based model of assessment and intervention to explore whether interventions that modify context result in reduction of problem behavior in ecologically valid settings (i.e., typical routines implemented by typical education personnel in neighborhood schools). The Contextual Assessment Inventory (CAI) and a post-assessment interview were administered to parents and teachers of eight children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to identify problem contexts. Then, environmental modification techniques were implemented in three priority contexts: namely, transitions, termination of preferred activities, and presence of a feared stimulus. Our results demonstrated an almost complete elimination of problem behavior in the priority …

Individual And Group Performance On Insight Problems: The Effects Of Experimentally Induced Fixation, Christine M. Smith, Emily Bushouse, Jennifer Lord

Peer Reviewed Articles

Recent research has shown that the benefits associated with incubation periods during individual problem solving can be explained in terms of forgetting the material or of any strategy that serves to block progress toward success (e.g., Smith & Blankenship, 1991). While interacting groups reliably outperform individuals on both problem-solving and recall tasks, groups’ superior memory capacity may serve to hinder problem solving, especially when fixation has occurred. In the present study, individuals and three-person groups attempted to solve a set of 20 rebus puzzles on two different occasions. In the first session rebuses were accompanied by “clues,” that were designed …

Contact With Nature, Sense Of Humor, And Psychological Well-Being, Thomas R. Herzog, Sarah J. Strevey

Peer Reviewed Articles

We administered a questionnaire measuring contact with nature, sense of humor, and psychological well-being. Factor analysis of the humor items yielded four factors: humor production, humor appreciation, coping humor, and humor tolerance. Factor analysis of 14 well-being measures yielded three factors: emotional well-being, personal development, and effective functioning. The best sense-of-humor predictor of the well-being measures and factors was humor appreciation. Regression models for each of the well-being factors as dependent variables with humor appreciation and contact with nature as independent variables showed that additive models with both predictors were appropriate for personal development and effective functioning and that a …

Promoting Social Interactions Between Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Their Peers In Inclusive School Settings, Jamie S. Owen-Deschryver, Edward G. Carr, Sanja I. Cale, Audrey Blakeley-Smith

Peer Reviewed Articles

This study evaluated the impact of a peer training intervention on social interactions among three students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their typical peers. Two second graders and one fourth grader with ASD participated. For each student with ASD, two to four typical peers participated in training sessions that targeted increased social interactions. Data collected during lunchtime and recess showed that the peer training intervention generally resulted in increased initiations by trained peers as well as increased initiations and responses by students with ASD. Unexpectedly, untrained peers also showed increased initiations. Future research directions are discussed, including characteristics of …

Clashing Cultures: A Model Of International Student Conflict, Ellen I. Shupe

Peer Reviewed Articles

Although researchers have noted that interactions among people from different cultural backgrounds can result in interpersonal conflict, little is known about the nature of this conflict and its effects on the individuals involved. The current study attempts to address this gap in the literature. It conceptualizes interpersonal, intercultural conflict as a stressor and proposes and tests a model of conflict experiences, using data from graduate students representing approximately 50 countries. Results of path analyses of the model indicate that although cultural distance does not predict interpersonal, intercultural conflict, conflict strongly predicts poor work-related and sociocultural adaptation, and these negative effects …

Application Of Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Long-Standing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Law Enforcement Personnel, Tara L. Cornelius, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Peer Reviewed Articles

The development and maintenance of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be understood as a function of learning and cognitive processes. This case report addresses treatment of PTSD with a 72-year-old former police officer who was experiencing intrusive thoughts, nightmares, experiential and affective avoidance, and hyperarousal resulting from witnessing a series of traumatic events during his time in law enforcement. Although the latency between events and treatment was more than 20 years, this patient was responsive to a cognitive-behavioral, exposure-based treatment. Several other factors, including the client’s age and chronic pain, complicated this case. The aim of this study was …

The Effectiveness Of Communication Skills Training With Married Couples: Does The Issue Discussed Matter?, Tara L. Cornelius, Galen Alessi, Ryan C. Shorey

Peer Reviewed Articles

This study experimentally examines the speaker-listener technique on marital satisfaction and communication behaviors when couples (N = 30) were instructed to either discuss an issue within or outside the marriage on marital satisfaction and communication behaviors. This study was based the Gottman et al. hypothesis that the speaker-listener technique would lead to improved marital satisfaction when the couple is discussing a third-party issue, but discussing an issue about each other would weaken the marital relationship. A series of analyses of covariance were conducted on these data, and no differences were found between the two groups on their self-reported marital satisfaction …

Links Among Attachment Dimensions, Affect, The Self, And Perceived Support For Broadly Generalized Attachment Styles And Specific Bonds, Robin A. Barry, Brian Lakey, Edward Orehek

Peer Reviewed Articles

Measures of adult attachment reflect both respondents’ broadly generalized styles as well as bonds with specific attachment figures. Using Cronbach, Gleser, Nanda, and Rajaratnam’s (1972) Multivariate Generalizability analyses, the authors estimated the extent to which correlations among attachment, affect, the self, and perceived social support occurred for both styles and bonds. In two studies, participants rated attachment, affect, the self, and perceived support when thinking about their mothers, fathers, and romantic partners. In both studies, attachment dimensions reflected specific bonds much more so than generalized styles. When correlations reflected specific bonds, both anxious and avoidant dimensions were strongly linked to …

The Measurement Of Implicit Motives In Three Cultures: Power And Affiliation In Cameroon, Costa Rica, And Germany, Jan Hofer, Athanasios Chasiotis, Wolfgang Friedlmeier, Holger Busch, Domingo Campos

Peer Reviewed Articles

This article examines methodological issues related to the measurement of implicit motives in culturally divergent samples. Implicit motives are seen as basic needs shared by all human beings. However, cross-cultural comparisons are very restricted because many cross-cultural studies on implicit motives with non- Western cultures developed and discussed culture-inherent stimuli. The aim of the study here was to search for a culture-independent set of picture stimuli measuring two basic motives (affiliation and power motive) in three different cultures. Two pretests and one main study were carried out in Cameroon, Costa Rica, and Germany with student and non-student samples, respectively, and …

Pathway Curvature And Border Visibility As Predictors Of Preference And Danger In Forest Settings, Thomas R. Herzog, Kristin M. Kirk

Peer Reviewed Articles

The authors investigated pathway curvature and pathway border visibility as predictors of preference and perceived danger in forest settings. Participants rated 56 forest settings containing pathways for one of four variables—mystery, visual access, pathway length, and pathway width—or for one of four additional predictors. Pathway curvature was unrelated to preference, danger, or mystery. Border visibility and visual access were positively related to preference, negatively related to danger, and positively related to each other. Preference and danger were negatively related. Danger was more strongly related to the predictors than was preference. Mystery had a modest negative relation with preference and substantial …

Attitudes Mediate The Association Between Childhood Disciplinary History And Disciplinary Responses, Mary Bower-Russa

Peer Reviewed Articles

According to recent estimates, childhood abuse victims are at 12 times higher risk for child abuse perpetration than those without such abusive histories. This study focused on delineation of the mechanisms by which intergenerational patterns of abuse may occur and, in particular, the role that disciplinary attitudes may play in mediating the relation between disciplinary history and risk for abusive parenting. Participants (n = 459) completed a series of questionnaires to assess childhood history, disciplinary attitudes, and disciplinary practices. Structural equation modeling indicated that the association between disciplinary history and disciplinary responses was partially mediated by attitudes, with more than …

Legibility, Mystery, And Visual Access As Predictors Of Preference And Perceived Danger In Forest Settings Without Pathways, Thomas R. Herzog, Laura S. Kropscott

Peer Reviewed Articles

The authors attempt to address some unresolved issues within the Kaplans’ preference-matrix model of environmental preference. These issues involve the relation between legibility and preference and the relations among preference, danger, and mystery. Participants rated 70 within-forest settings containing no visible pathways for preference, danger, or one of seven predictor variables. Legibility and coherence were found to be independent, positive predictors of preference. Likewise, landmarks and visual access were independent positive predictors of legibility. Legibility fully mediated the positive relation between landmarks and preference. Visual access interacted with legibility in predicting preference: The relation between preference and either predictor was …

Recognition Of Self Among Persons With Dementia: Pictures Versus Names As Environmental Supports, Jennifer Gross, Mary E. Harmon, Rebecca A. Myers, Rachel L. Evans, Natalie R. Kay, Senez Rodriguez-Charbonier, Thomas R. Herzog

Peer Reviewed Articles

The physical environment can promote the functional ability of persons with dementia. Many care facilities use environmental signage (e.g., names on doors) to facilitate adaptive behavior (e.g., room finding). However, the effects of such signage on residents’functioning are not well understood. In three experiments, we investigated if persons with moderate to severe dementia had the required skills necessary to benefit from signage. Compared to a control condition (recognition of fellow residents’ photographs), a high percentage of participants could identify written names and photographs of themselves (Experiment 1). Moreover, name and photographic labels helped participants identify belongings (Experiment 2). Training improved …

Searching For Legibility, Thomas R. Herzog, Olivia L. Leverich

Peer Reviewed Articles

Legibility has been ineffective as a predictor of environmental preference primarily because of its correlation with another predictor, coherence. The authors tried to separate the two predictors by careful selection of field/forest settings and by using nontraditional definitions. The alternate definitions emphasized landmarks (for legibility) and the two-dimensional picture plane (for coherence). These strategies proved unsuccessful for the entire sample of settings. However, when an empirically derived subset of forest settingswas examined, the desired pattern of relations among the traditionally defined constructs was found: Legibility had a slightly stronger correlation with preference than coherence, and legibility was clearly the stronger …

Preference And Perceived Danger In Field/Forest Settings, Thomas R. Herzog, Glenn E. Kutzli

Peer Reviewed Articles

The authors investigated preference, perceived danger, and fear for a sample of 70 field/forest settings. Predictor variables included perception-based variables (visual access, penetration,movement ease), information-based variables (mystery, concealment, refuge), and variables thought to intervene between concealment and danger (entrapment, rearview concern). All variables were rated by independent groups. Danger and fear were strongly positively correlated for these settings, but preference and danger had a more modest negative correlation. Factor analysis of the strongly inter-correlated predictor variables yielded two factors, interpreted as Visibility and Locomotor Access. Both factors were positive predictors of preference and negative predictors of danger. Further analyses suggested …