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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Impact Of Mindfulness And Test Anxiety On Academic Performance., Mariam A. Altairi Dec 2014

The Impact Of Mindfulness And Test Anxiety On Academic Performance., Mariam A. Altairi

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Surviving The Death Of A Sibling : A Phenomenological Study Of Childhood Bereavement., Edith Crumb Gunter Dec 2014

Surviving The Death Of A Sibling : A Phenomenological Study Of Childhood Bereavement., Edith Crumb Gunter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The loss of a sibling can be devastating to children, especially for children ages 7-12, who are at a critical juncture in their development. The loss can impede their development if their bereavement is not effectively addressed. For this reason, this dissertation evaluated four theoretical frameworks to provide a foundation for bereavement support for children: Assumptive World Theory, Dual Process Model, Meaning Reconstruction Theory, and Tasks of Mourning. Developmental theories and considerations were explored to gain knowledge of children’s levels of understanding, processing, and coping. Method: This study utilized a sample of five children ages 7-12 who had survived the …


Unnatural Pedagogy : A Computational Analysis Of Children's Learning To Learn From Other People., Baxter S. Eaves 1984- Dec 2014

Unnatural Pedagogy : A Computational Analysis Of Children's Learning To Learn From Other People., Baxter S. Eaves 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infants rely on others for much of what they learn. People are a ready source of quick information, but people produce data differently than the world. Data from a person are a result of that person's knowledgeability and intentions. People may produce inaccurate or misleading data. On the other hand, if a person is knowledgeable about the world and intends to teach, that person may produce data that are more useful than simply accurate data: data that are pedagogical. This idea that people have special innate methods for efficient information transfer lies at the heart of recent proposals regarding what …


Is It The Thought That Counts? : Investigating Children's Understanding Of Helpfulness, Effort, And Utility., Danielle Mccarty Dec 2014

Is It The Thought That Counts? : Investigating Children's Understanding Of Helpfulness, Effort, And Utility., Danielle Mccarty

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

How do children consider helpfulness, specifically effort and utility, when evaluating potential informants? We tested preschoolers on three conditions, asking them to choose between a character high in both effort and utility and a character who acted with either 1) low effort and high utility, 2) high effort and low utility, or 3) low effort and no utility (removed from social contexts). The opposing characters provided conflicting information when labeling novel objects, and participants were asked which label they endorsed. They were then asked to choose which character was the more helpful, which worked harder, and which was nicer. We …


Working Memory, Emotion Regulation, And Effortful Control Levels In Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder., James Rush Dec 2014

Working Memory, Emotion Regulation, And Effortful Control Levels In Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder., James Rush

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Comparative Analysis Of Varying Theoretical Frameworks In Argentine Music Therapy., Talia Girton Dec 2014

Comparative Analysis Of Varying Theoretical Frameworks In Argentine Music Therapy., Talia Girton

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

One of the most shocking cultural phenomena that American visitors to Argentina experience is the prevalence of psychoanalytic theory, thought, and practice. It is so embedded into the Argentine way of life that its terminology is sprinkled throughout their daily speech and the cost of regular therapy sessions is factored into the monthly budget along with food, rent, and clothing. The widespread use of psychoanalysis is especially confounding to those of us in the mental health care field in the United States, as the enthusiasm for psychoanalysis and Freudian theory has receded among the intellectual community largely because it is …


Building Reconciliation In Bosnia And Herzegovina : The Effects Of Ingroup Identification, Outgroup Trust, And Intergroup Forgiveness On Intergroup Contact Quantity., Branka Damjanovic Dec 2014

Building Reconciliation In Bosnia And Herzegovina : The Effects Of Ingroup Identification, Outgroup Trust, And Intergroup Forgiveness On Intergroup Contact Quantity., Branka Damjanovic

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

After the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, it was necessary to find a way for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s three main ethnic groups to live together again. The Dayton Peace Agreement was thought to be the answer. Signed in 1995, it provided a new framework for the country, establishing the Republika Srpska for the Serbs, the Brcko District as an autonomous region, and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was further divided into cantons between the Bosnian Croats and the Bosniaks. With such a political structure, it was of interest to survey the quantity of intergroup contact between the groups today, …


Dispositional Mindfulness And Working Memory In The Context Of Acute Stress., Lauren M. Vines Aug 2014

Dispositional Mindfulness And Working Memory In The Context Of Acute Stress., Lauren M. Vines

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The neuropsychological domain of working memory and the nearly 3000 year-old Buddhist construct of mindfulness appear to be disparate concepts. However, the measurable decline of working memory capacity (WMC) under stress, in combination with the stress-reducing and attention-focusing effects of mindfulness suggest potential augmentation of working memory through the engagement of mindful practice. A theoretical process through which dispositional mindfulness exerts a moderating effect on WMC reduction following an acute stressor is proposed. To investigate processes within this theoretical framework, a sample of undergraduate college students (N = 67) were assessed across various measures, including level of dispositional mindfulness, affective …


Measuring Mindful Interoception : Development Of The Mindful Interoception Sampling Task (Mist)., Samuel J. Dreeben Aug 2014

Measuring Mindful Interoception : Development Of The Mindful Interoception Sampling Task (Mist)., Samuel J. Dreeben

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained, non-evaluative, present moment interoception or ? "mindful interoception" (MI) is a central feature of many widely practiced clinical interventions, including mindfulness-based therapies, cognitive-behavioral therapies, focusing-oriented psychotherapy, and Gestalt therapy. However, to date, no valid measures of MI have been developed. The lack of such a measure has precluded attempts to discern A) to what extent MI ability changes as a function of MI-based therapies, B) if change in MI mediates symptom reduction, and C) if individual differences in MI ability are associated with anxiety, mindfulness, and other hypothetically related constructs. The purpose of the current study was to develop …


Taking Clinical Judgment Out Of The Equation : A Call For The Standardization Of Mci Diagnostic Criteria And Construction Of A Model To Predict Conversion To Dementia., Adam Tyler Gerstenecker Aug 2014

Taking Clinical Judgment Out Of The Equation : A Call For The Standardization Of Mci Diagnostic Criteria And Construction Of A Model To Predict Conversion To Dementia., Adam Tyler Gerstenecker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment have evolved considerably since their inception, they remain varied and able to be interpreted and implemented in different ways depending on the judgment of the clinician. Because of this issue, a wide range of incidence, prevalence, and conversion rates are found in the research literature. Using data collected from 400 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, limitations inherent in current mild cognitive impairment diagnostic criteria were addressed. First, using Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative diagnostic criteria, an equation was constructed to predict conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia by analyzing the predictive …


A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Relationships Between The Therapeutic Alliance, Empathy, And Genuineness In Individual Adult Psychotherapy., Jacob B. Nienhuis Aug 2014

A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Relationships Between The Therapeutic Alliance, Empathy, And Genuineness In Individual Adult Psychotherapy., Jacob B. Nienhuis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and perceptions of therapist empathy and genuineness through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Alliance, empathy, and genuineness are each integral parts of the therapeutic relationship. Prior meta-analyses demonstrated that alliance, empathy, and genuineness each had a moderate relationship to therapy outcome. No previous analysis has explored how therapist empathy and genuineness contribute to the therapeutic alliance. Studies for this analysis were obtained through a multi-part search strategy. Out of 2,141 obtained abstracts, 46 studies contained enough data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Thirty-six studies reported alliance/empathy relationships, six studies reported alliance/genuineness …


Putting The Person First : An Examination Of Thought Disorder And Personality Heterogeneity In Schizophrenia., Catherine Rose Robertson Aug 2014

Putting The Person First : An Examination Of Thought Disorder And Personality Heterogeneity In Schizophrenia., Catherine Rose Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Recovery Model of mental illness, emerging as the new zeitgeist in regards to treatment, emphasizes the optimization of functioning for each individual, using personal strengths and preferences to drive the recovery process. Thought disorder has long been considered a core symptom of schizophrenia and has been implicated in multiple domains of functional outcome. In spite of its relationship to functioning and substantial heterogeneity of the phenomenon, little to no research has examined potential factors which may be related to these differences in thought disorder and its related domains of functioning. The current study proposes that “normal” personality traits, such …


Do Trust-Based Beliefs Mediate The Associations Of Frequency Of Private Prayer With Mental Health? : A Cross-Sectional Study., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Annie C. Bjerg, Benjamin D. Jeppsen, Don T. Wooldridge Jun 2014

Do Trust-Based Beliefs Mediate The Associations Of Frequency Of Private Prayer With Mental Health? : A Cross-Sectional Study., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Annie C. Bjerg, Benjamin D. Jeppsen, Don T. Wooldridge

Faculty Scholarship

Significant associations of private prayer with mental health have been found, while mechanisms underlying these associations are largely unknown. This cross-sectional online study (N = 325, age: 35.74, SD: 18.50, 77.5% female) used path modeling to test if trust-based beliefs (whether, when, and how prayers are answered) mediated the associations of prayer frequency with the Anxiety, Confusion, and Depression Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS) scales. The association of prayer and Depression was fully mediated by trust-based beliefs; associations with Anxiety and Confusion were partially mediated. Further the interaction of prayer frequency by stress was association with Anxiety.


Examining The Effects Of Saccade Execution And Handedness On Proactive Interference., Montgomery A. Kroger May 2014

Examining The Effects Of Saccade Execution And Handedness On Proactive Interference., Montgomery A. Kroger

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Proactive interference is the phenomenon by which previously-learned information impairs recall of more recently-learned information. The present experiment was conducted to investigate two factors that may affect the occurrence of proactive interference. The first of these factors is saccade execution. Saccade execution has been shown in numerous studies to improve performance on a wide range of memory tasks. The second factor was people’s consistency of handedness, a term referring to the strength of people’s tendency to use one hand (right or left) over the other. Although the results of the primary analyses were inconclusive, further exploration of the data led …


Interleukin-6 And Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor Levels In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder : Associations With Lifetime Diagnostic Status And Psychological Context., Tamara L. Newton, Rafael Fernandez-Botran, James J. Miller, Vicki Ellison Burns May 2014

Interleukin-6 And Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor Levels In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder : Associations With Lifetime Diagnostic Status And Psychological Context., Tamara L. Newton, Rafael Fernandez-Botran, James J. Miller, Vicki Ellison Burns

Faculty Scholarship

This study correlated lifetime PTSD diagnostic status with interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) levels, and tested whether these correlations are sensitive to psychological context. Midlife women attended two research visits where blood was drawn (beginning of visits) and saliva and oral mucosal transudate were collected (beginning and end of visits) to measure IL-6 and sIL-6R. Women were classified as PTSD−/− (past and current symptoms below subsyndromal levels), PTSD+/− (past symptoms at or above subsyndromal levels), or PTSD +/+ (past and current symptoms at or above subsyndromal levels). PTSD+/+ women, compared to the other women, showed more negative emotion …


The Best Intentions : Does Positive Parental Religious Coping Moderate The Relationship Between Parental Perceived Control And Child Anxiety In African American Family Dyads?, James V. Simms May 2014

The Best Intentions : Does Positive Parental Religious Coping Moderate The Relationship Between Parental Perceived Control And Child Anxiety In African American Family Dyads?, James V. Simms

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


A Mindfulness-Based Intervention To Reduce Stress In Undergraduates., Dirk Anthony Dorsel May 2014

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention To Reduce Stress In Undergraduates., Dirk Anthony Dorsel

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

This study piloted a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress in university undergraduates, and explore effects on psychological and biological indicators of stress. Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment-by-moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The one week mindfulness intervention used audiobased mindfulness tracks recorded by Clinical Psychologist Paul Salmon. These tracks taught the basics of mindfulness. Participants were asked to listen to the tracks for 30 minutes a day for five days of the intervention. Perceived stress, self-reported anxiety, self-reported depression, heart rate and skin conductance were …


Testing Three Different Sequential Mediational Interpretations Of Beck's Cognitive Model For The Development Of Depression., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black Jan 2014

Testing Three Different Sequential Mediational Interpretations Of Beck's Cognitive Model For The Development Of Depression., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: This study tested and compared three sequential interpretations of Beck’s cognitive model of the development of depression (1996). The causal mediational interpretation identifies dysfunctional attitudes as most distal to depressive symptoms, followed by cognitive distortions, cognitive triad, and negative automatic thoughts, with each construct successively more proximal to depressive symptoms. By contrast, the symptom model reverses the causal chain with negative automatic thoughts as the most proximal consequence and dysfunctional attitudes as the most distal consequence of depression. The bidirectional model merges both interpretations into one model. Previous studies on sequential interpretations of Beck’s model have not included cognitive …