Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Media’S Influence On Disordered Eating And Body Dysmorphia In Males And Females, Alexis Kotanidis, Jamie Vitrano

Molloy Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference

The media typically refers to various means of communication that reach or influence people widely. This includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, social media platforms, websites, podcasts, and more. Essentially, it has many ways through which information is transmitted to a large audience. The media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion, especially with regard to disordered eating and body dysmorphia in both men and women. Disordered eating refers to a wide range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not meet the criteria for a specific eating disorder diagnosis such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Introverted Leaders, Sherita Dianne Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Society is comprised of individuals with different personality types who are frequently referred to as extraverted or introverted. Research has suggested individuals fall somewhere along the continuum of extraversion to introversion. Based on statistics, introverts are thought to comprise between 33% to 50% of the greater population, but introverts only comprise 4% of the management teams leading companies. The literature has vast amounts of information about leadership and extraversion but limited information about introversion and leadership. From the literature, what is not clear is how the introspective tendencies of introverted leaders may influence the strategic planning, decision making, or other …

Learning Strategies In Different Environments: Self-Regulated Learning In Traditional And Online Courses, Melissa Gebbia Ph.D., Joanna Alcruz Ph.D.

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

Self-regulation of academic efforts directly predicts academic performance. However, students engage in regulation of learning in various degrees depending on the content and context. A mixed-methods study was conducted to investigate the intra-student differences of learning strategies in face-to-face and online courses. The results showed statistically significantly higher scores for motivation and study strategies in the classroom setting. The online environment presented more challenges to students, who seemed less autonomous and independent in their learning.

A Different Take On Diversity: The Constructive Use Of Differences, Judith L. Brink Drescher

Librarian Presentations

Professional Day Leadership Track

Sustaining Evidence-Based Substance Use Prevention Interventions: A Five-And-A-Half Year Follow-Up Study, Tara Kenworthy

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, extensive monetary resources are dedicated annually to support drug use prevention programs, but the sustainability of these interventions over time is often a neglected area of research. This study examines the moderating effect of capacity factors on the relationship between motivation factors and years interventions were sustained. We retained a sample of 29 evidence-based substance use prevention interventions implemented in 14 community coalitions as part of the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) in Tennessee. Primary data were collected through interviews about each intervention conducted five-and-a-half years after SPF SIG funding ended. These interviews …

The Effect Of A Medical Decompression Protocol On The Use Of Antiemetics, Nasogastric Tube Usage And Diet Advance In Late Stage Cancer Patients With Functional Intestinal Obstruction, Pedro H. Calves, Cindy Kaye Saraceno, Ann C. Eckardt Erlanger Psyd, Abpp, Patricia A. Eckardt

Faculty Works: PSY (2013-2017)

At the end of life, many patients suffer from a syndrome that simulates classic small bowel obstruction. The traditional approach to intestinal obstruction is relief of pressure in the gastrointestinal tract using mechanical methods such as naso-gastric tube insertion and suctioning. This relieves the distension of the hollow organs and thus the nausea.. Pharmacologic methods are also used in the care of these patients, however, there is debate as to which agents to use and when to use them. The Medical Decompression protocol is a non-invasive pharmacologic approach to this problem. It brings with it ease and economy of delivery, …

Offender And Non-Offender Differences In Empathy Aggression Impulsivity And Executive Functioning: A Predictive Model, Maddison Stemple-Piatt

Honors Theses

Predictive offender profiling uses present offense details as well as personality and behavior traits to predict past criminal history to better understand criminality and predict future offending. A typical offender profile is characterized as the inability to understand other peoples’ emotions and perspectives, tendency to act without thinking, propensity for dealing with adversity through aggression, and deficit in cognitive abilities. There are assumed differences between offenders and non-offenders, but these differences have rarely been studied. The present study examines the differences between 22 male offenders and non- offenders in empathy, impulsivity, aggression, and executive functioning in a sample from the …

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe, Judith L. Brink Drescher

Librarian Presentations

Professional Day Communication Workshop

To Study Or Not To Study: The Influences Of Procrastination, Self-Esteem, And Self-Efficacy On Self-Handicapping Among College Students, Tiatia Filemoni

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Many college students have ambitions to succeed, graduate, and find a career. Despite their ambitions, many are choosing to replace study time with Netflix, social media, partying, drugs, alcohol, and other non-homework related activities. Approximately 30%-60% of college students report procrastination as a regular interruption of their undergraduate studies.

Increasing Parenting Knowledge: A Pilot Study, Kandice Olson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Research shows that parenting interventions make a significant difference in the lives of children with behavioral and emotional problems (de Graaf et al., 2008a; de Graaf et al., 2008b; Phaneuf & McIntyre, 2011; Roberts et al., 2006; Whittingham, Sofronoff, Sheffield, & Sanders, 2009). However, not all parents need intensive interventions. There is little research that has evaluated the effectiveness of a brief parenting handout intervention on parenting knowledge. The goal of this study was to determine if a brief informational handout about parenting increased parenting knowledge in college students. Students were asked to complete the pre-intervention survey that measured their …

Social Responsibility In Higher Education, Maureen L. Mackenzie Ph.D., Melissa Mccardle Ph.D., Melissa Gebbia Ph.D., Susan Bliss Ph.D.

Faculty Works: Business (1973-2022)

Current events such as the recent removal of the CEO of United Airlines for being “bought” by port authority officials highlights the need to prepare students for ethical and effective participation in corporate, non-profit and civic life. Ongoing problems with the leadership of financial, political and social institutions, and increasingly diverse society and persistent inequities in the educational system point to the need for intentional learning opportunities that support the development of ethical leaders & informed citizens who are capable of solving complex social problems in a multicultural society.

Building Response Flexibilty In Cients With Eating Disorders: Improvisation And Embodying Addiction, Laura L. Wood Ph.D., Lmhc, Rdt_Bct

Faculty Works: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Currently, statistics show that individuals with eating disorders have a higher mortality rate than those suffering from any other mental illness (Smink, van Hoken & Hoek, 2012). No single type of treatment is universally successful; rather each eating disorder type (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder) responds to its own unique course of treatment. Even though there has been significant growth over the last twenty-five years in treatment approaches for different types of eating disorders, there is still a significant gap in what we know to be effective (Fairburn & Harrison, 2003). Unfortunately, public interest in eating disorders …

Setting The Stage For Selfattunement: Drama Therapy As A Guide For Neural Integration In The Treatment Of Eating Disorders, Laura L. Wood Ph.D., Lmhc, Rdt_Bct

Faculty Works: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Work Status And Grade Point Average, Lauren Kennington, Verdina Pilipovic

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

There is a fine line between wanting to succeed and being able to succeed. There are certain factors that one has imaged when the visions of success come along. These images include the wide range of having a good job, being able to provide for individual wants and needs, as well as continuing to have a social life. Being a student is reflected on these visions of success by how well one’s grade point average is maintained, along with his or her stress level of working and going to school, and even being able to sleep and still find time …

Cybercycling For Cognitive Health: Comparing Physical Mental And Combined Exercise, Anna Scribner

Honors Theses

Several meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCT) have shown exercise to improve cognitive function in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003, O’ Leary et al., 2011). Cognitive benefit from mental exercise alone is less definitive. A recent RCT (Anderson-Hanley et al., 2012) found greater benefit from three months of virtual-reality enhanced exercise than physical exercise alone among 79 independent living older adults. The current study aimed to replicate this work. In this study, six seniors that either lived or worked at Schaffer Heights were enrolled in the study. Participants were randomized into one of …

Using Music To Study: Variables That Affect A Student's Incorporation Of Music In Their Academic World, Kelly Perez

Honors Scholar Theses

This study reports relationships made between a student’s personality and his or her preferences to use music while studying. Other behaviors regarding music in a non-academic setting are also discussed. Data from 67 participants suggest that highly organized individuals show a tendency to use music for studying and to make use of playlists they created. They use music to enhance their mood. Many of the dimensions that describe agreeable people are related to using music for academic purposes, but also highly correlated to studying with other people. The results suggest that the way we use music in our lives is …

Asl: A Visual Language, Laura L. Wood Ph.D., Lmhc, Rdt_Bct, Miako Villanueva, Deanna Twain

Faculty Works: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

This chapter outlines the main concepts in the linguistic study of American Sign Language (ASL), a language used by deaf people in the United States and a large part of Canada. While the study of languages has been around for centuries, the vast majority of research has focused on spoken languages; approaching the signs used by deaf people as full-fledged, natural languages in their own right and therefore equally worthy of linguistic study is a relatively new concept. The first documented linguistic studies of signed language in the United States were carried out in the late 1950s and early 1960s …

Escape From Death Row: A Study Of “Tripping” As An Individual Adjustment Strategy Among Death Row Prisoners, Sandra Mcgunigall-Smith, Robert Johnson

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “The literature on stress and coping in American prisons tends to focus on the social dimensions of prison life. This literature describes a prison culture that shapes prison adjustment; such a culture entails norms, roles, and groups (including gangs) that dictate norms of adjustment. The literature also suggests that prisoners have to find a way to get along in the more public areas of the prison (such as the prison yard or mess hall) or retreat to smaller worlds within the prison while carving out “niches” that allow them to adjust in ways they find more familiar—in their jobs, …

Neuropsychological Assessment Of Cultrually And Linguistically Diverse Children: A Review Of Relevant Issues And Appropraite Methods, Laura B. Kestemberg Ph.D., Melissa Tarnofsky Silverman, Michael R. Emmons

Faculty Works: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Drawing from the fields of anatomy, biology, biophysics, ethology, pharmacology, physiology, physiological psychology, and philosophy, neuropsychology is the study of the relationship between human brain function and behavior (Kolb & Whishaw, 2003). According to Lezak (1995), the field of neuropsychology has grown to encompass the diagnosis of individuals, patient care and planning, rehabilitation and treatment evaluation, and research with regard to neuropsychological functioning. Assessment continues to be emphasized as a component of neuropsychology, and it typically involves an evaluation of the following domains: intellectual status, language and academic abilities, executive processes, attention, concentration, learning and memory, visuoconstructive abilities, motor functioning, …

Occupational And Biopsychosocial Risk Factors For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Case-Control Study, Jason Talley Goodson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study was designed to assess the risk factors associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Toward this end, a wide range of putative occupational, biological, and psychosocial correlates of CTS was investigated using a case-control methodology. Cases were 87 patients from an orthopedic clinic with clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic testing results suggestive of CTS. Controls were 74 gender-matched patients from the same orthopedic clinic, without clinical symptoms of CTS and normal electrodiagnostic testing results. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included eight potential occupational correlates (i.e., repetition, force, vibration, typing, lifting heavy loads, and standing on feet), 10 potential …

Culture, Psychology, And Education, David Matsumoto

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In my view, the study of culture provides three main contributions to our understanding of human behavior and mental processes. First there is great knowledge to impart about cultural similarities and differences in behavior, and these form the basis for improving psychological theories. Second the study of culture is a prime example of critical thinking in the field, as cross-cultural research begs the question about whether our notions of truth and psychological principles are applicable to people beyond those whom were studied. Third research on intercultural adjustment provides us with clues about possible psychological constructs that may be universally necessary …

A Longitudinal Study Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms In Preschool-Age Children, Jessica Nicole Greenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common reasons for referral to children's mental health clinics, with an estimated prevalence of 3% to 5% in the general population of school-age children. Children who exhibit the requisite behaviors may obtain a diagnosis of ADHD at any age; however, symptom onset must occur before age 7 and persist for at least 6 months. Despite these temporal requirements for diagnosis, little empirical information about the manifestation and stability of ADHD symptoms in preschool children exists. This study provides information about the initial presence and stability over one academic year of ADHD behaviors …

Effects Of Perceived Sugar Or Chocolate Intake On Self-Reported Food Cravings, Mood States, And Food Intake: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study, Lara J. Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many dieters and compulsive overeaters report that sugar and chocolate are the most commonly craved foods. Further, many individuals have proclaimed themselves to be "addicted" to sugar or chocolate. It remains unclear, however, what factors lead to report of specific food addictions. A number of researchers have suggested that highly repetitive consumption of sugar and chocolate may result from various physiological processes (e.g., neurochemical imbalances, glucose/insulin malfunctioning). However, there is also considerable evidence that psychosocial factors (i.e., expectancies, classical, and operant conditioning) play the major role in the development and maintenance of excessive sugar/chocolate intake. Empirical studies examining factors that …

Predicting Lumbar Fusion Surgery Outcomes From Presurgical Patient Variables: The Utah Lumbar Fusion Outcome Study, M. Scott Deberard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lumbar fusion surgery is a commonly used procedure to treat severe spinal pathology and associated chronic disabling low back and leg pain. Despite the common incidence of spinal fusion surgery, few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of this procedure. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received lumbar fusion surgery in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. An archival prospective research design was utilized consisting of a retrospective medical chart review and a postsurgical telephone outcome survey.

Subjects were 203 workers' compensation patients from …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relation Between Domestic Violence And Pet Abuse, Claudia V. Weber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a descriptive study that examined the relation between domestic violence and pct abuse. Participants were questioned about their styles of conflict resolution with partners and how pets were treated in the home. Information was gathered using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and three surveys were developed for this study: the Battered Partner Shelter Survey, Families and Pets Survey, and the Child 's Observations and Experience with Pets. Four groups were recruited: (a) women in crisis shelters who chose to include one of their children in the study (n = 39), (b) women in crisis shelters who did not …

The Child In Relationship: An Expression Of Wholeness, Alice Byrnes Op, Da

Faculty Works: ENG (1995-2016)

In literature the archetypal child is not portrayed in isolation, but in the context of a mutually supportive relationship with a mentor. According to Jungian psychology, the on-going process of individuation requires a balance of opposite qualities such as those associated with the child and the adult. The symbiotic relationship of the protege and mentor, therefore, serves as a metaphor of personal integration.

Individual Response To Risk As A Function Of Normative Social Pressure: A Pilot Study Of Seat Belt Use, Kenneth D. Boehm, John T. Keating, Karl W. Pfefferkorn, Audra J. Pfeltz, Brady G. Serafin, Jessica L. Sullivan, Karen L. Thode, Kevin M. Vincent, Juanita V. Field

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors attempt to clarify some of the variables that influence whether people act appropriately when a Risk is substantial and subject to individual control. They do so by reporting results of a pilot study of seat belt use. Also, the authors believe their approach to be generalizable to problems such as encouraging people to test for radon, to use condoms to prevent AIDS or to quit smoking.

Divorce Stress And Adjustment Model: Locus Of Control And Demographic Predictors, Helen Smith Barnet

Psychology Faculty Publications

Reports On One Hundred and Seven Recently Divorced Men and Women Who Completed a Mailed Questionnaire Eliciting Locus of Control, Difficulties, Decision Time, and Divorce Stress and Adjustment.

A Comprehensive Treatment Program For Abusive Parents: An Exploratory Study, Marvin Kim Marvel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estimates of the incidence of child abuse range from 200,000 to 500,000 (Light, 1973) to over one million children each year (O'Brien, 1980). Child abuse is a leading cause of childhood death and injury (Starr, 1979). Demographic studies (e.g., Steele & Pollock, 1968) suggest that parents who abuse their children were often abused or neglected themselves. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that many of the present victims of abuse will become abusing parents in the future unless the cycle is broken. The need for effective interventions to reduce this pervasive social problem is obvious.

A Study Of The Effect Of A Child's Physical Attractiveness Upon Verbal Scoring Of The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children (Revised) And Upon Personality Attributions, Paula Theisler Wheeler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate possible examiner bias in scoring the Verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) due to the level of facial attractiveness of the child. Sex of the child and sex of the research subject were also included as independent variables. No main effect for attractiveness or sex x attractiveness interactions were found. Thus, little evidence emerged to suggest attractiveness stereotyping effects in an intelligence testing context. However, female children received significantly higher Comprehension and total Verbal scores than did male children. In addition, while male subjects did not provide differential …