Psychology Commons^™

Differential Effects Of Alzheimer's Disease And Huntington's Disease On The Performance Of Mental Rotation, Tara T. Lineweaver, David P. Salmon, Mark W. Bondi, Jody Corey-Bloom

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

he ability to spatially rotate a mental image was compared in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 18) and patients with Huntington's disease (HD; n = 18). Compared to their respective age-matched normal control (NC) group, the speed, but not the accuracy, of mental rotation abnormally decreased with increasing angle of orientation for patients with HD. In contrast, the accuracy, but not the speed, of rotation abnormally decreased with increasing angle of orientation for patients with AD. Additional analyses showed that these unique patterns of performance were not attributable to different speed/accuracy trade-off sensitivities. This double dissociation suggests that …

Cognitive Vulnerability In Anxiety, Emotional Dysregulation, And Bulimia Nervosa, Rachael Motley

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder that is characterized by recurrent cycles of binge eating and compensatory behaviors (e.g. purging). Individuals suffering from BN usually report feeling anxious or depressed before the onset of their eating problems, and disordered eating may represent an attempt to cope with negative emotion. The anxiety associated with BN may arise from several pathways including body dissatisfaction, idealized images of thinness, and negative life events (Polivy & Herman, 2002). There are also other factors that contribute to the development of BN including difficulties with emotion regulation (e.g. alexithymia). We propose that certain individuals are …

Actantial Analysis Greimas’S Structural Approach To The Analysis Of Self-Narratives, Yong Wang, Carl W. Roberts

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper introduces a formal procedure for analyzing narratives that was developed by the French/Lithuanian structuralist, A. J. Greimas. The focus is on demonstrating the utility of Greimas's ideas for analyzing one aspect of personal narratives: identity-construction. Reconstructing the basic actantial structure from self-narratives is shown to provide cues to power differentials among actants as perceived by the narrator. Distinguishing narrated events along conflict versus communication axes helps the analyst determine whether an experiential or a discursive domain is of primacy for the narrator. Moreover, investigation of communicative outcomes can be used to validate (or invalidate) findings on power relations. …

Assessing Mental Health Literacy Of First- And Third-Year Medical Students : Knowledge And Beliefs About Mental Disorders, Patricia A. Cheslock

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Mental health literacy is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that influence their identification, treatment, and prevention. It is highly pertinent for the primary care physician to possess appropriate mental health literacy, because it is in that sector that the majority of individuals first seek treatment. As many as 90% of individuals who experience symptoms of a mental disorder are first seen by their primary care physician. However, general practitioners often do not detect or diagnose the presence of a mental disorder, and as many as 50% of these disorders remain unidentified and untreated. This study explored the mental …

Role Of Cognitive Distortions And Dysfunctional Attitudes In Nurses Experiencing Burnout, Cynthia A. Diefenbeck

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

As a means of gathering more data to support the utility of cognitive-behavioral therapy with individuals experiencing burnout, this current study is designed to identify whether or not distorted thinking and dysfunctional attitudes are present in registered nurses who are experiencing burnout and whether or not they differ in registered nurses not experiencing burnout. A mail survey to a random sample of certified critical care registered nurses working in hospital settings was conducted. Participants provided basic demographic data and completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions, and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. In addition, participants completed measures of …

Patient Perceptions Of Receiving Bad News : Individual Coping Styles And Receiving The Diagnosis Of Cancer , Kyle B. Holsinger

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2005). Physicians who disclose the cancer diagnosis to patients are faced with limited professional training and few consensus clinical guidelines for communicating this diagnosis to their patients (Buckman, 1992; Girgis, Sanson-Fisher, & Schofield, 1999). Use of guidelines for delivering bad news and tailoring the bad news message to individual patients is recommended, but it is unclear if this is followed in the medical community (Baile, Lenzi, Parker, Buckman, & Cohen, 2002). The current study was conducted through a mail-in survey, of 186 surveys delivered, 111 were returned, …

Exploratory Study Of Anger And Behavior In An Incarcerated Offender Population Utilizing The Mahan And Ditomasso Anger Scale, Robert John Marsh, Jr.

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study proposed to advance the treatment and assessment of anger disorders by exploring the properties of the Mahan and DiTomasso Anger Scale (MAD-AS). Previous research of the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the MAD-AS was conducted with inpatient (Mahan, 2001) and outpatient participants (Beardmore, 2003) . In the present study a psychometric investigation was undertaken utilizing 300 male incarcerated offenders. The MAD-AS correlated positively with the presence of antisocial and borderline personality disorders and with violent offenses. Those inmates with a history of violent offenses scored significantly higher than those convicted of nonviolent offenses on the MAD-AS. …

The Effects Of Ppa And Nicotine Gum On Cessation Rates And Post Cessation Weight Gain In Women., Theodore V. Cooper, R. C. Klesges, M. W. Debon, S. M. Zbikowski, K. C. Johnson, L. Clemens

Theodore V. Cooper

No abstract provided.

Anger And Social Problem Solving Style As Predictors Of Burnout In Mental Health Workers, Jerri L. Maroney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined how the variables of anger and social problem-solving style affect the dimensions of burnout in a sample of 99 mental health workers. To assess these constructs, the State-Trait Anger Scale-2, and the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised were utilized. The Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services Staff was used to measure job burnout. Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and a decrease in the sense of Personal Accomplishment are the core dimensions of burnout on this measure. Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization correlated significantly with State Anger, Trait Anger, and Negative Problem Orientation. Significant inverse correlations were demonstrated for State Anger, Trait …

Assessment Of Anger In Persons With Cognitive Limitations : A Revision Of The Ads-Vii , Wayne David Schmoyer

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Assessment of angry patients with mental retardation or borderline intellectual functioning is time consuming. Existing assessment tools may be inadequate for gathering data and for guiding treatment, thus presenting a challenge for practitioners. The Anger Disorders Scale (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2001) samples the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of anger. However, this scale is a self-report survey for adults of average or higher intellectual functioning. This investigation provided a feasibility test of the "Anger Disorders Interview for persons diagnosed with Mental Retardation" (ADIMR), a modified version of the Anger Disorders Scale designed as a clinical interview for cognitively limited patients …

Coping And Psychological Hardiness And Their Relationship To Depression In Older Adults , Dianne E. Schellenberg

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The roles of coping strategies and psychological hardiness as these affect the relationships to depression in older adults were explored in a population of older adult residents who had recently relocated to long-term-care nursing home facilities. Older adults experience many losses and subsequent stressors as a result of normal aging; therefore, the additional stress that accompanies loss of familiar surroundings and support systems and the relocation to new and unfamiliar surroundings can have a significant impact on physical and psychological well being. A total of 91 residents participated in this study. Coping abilities were evaluated in terms of social problem-solving …

Validating The Impact Of Event Scale With Adolescents : A Look At The September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks, Claudia Lingertat

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale (IES; Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979), a self-report measure of current subjective distress. Twenty-four adolescents from an urban high school were surveyed regarding their experiences from the events of September 11, 2001. The IES showed a moderate correlation with the My Worst Experience Scale (MWES; Hyman, Snook, Berna, & Kohr, 1997). Findings indicate the IES may be effective as a quick screening tool for the intrusive and avoidant symptoms of posttraumatic stress in adolescents pending further research with a larger sample.

Interpersonal Behavior In Borderline Personality, Kimberly Ann Ryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Theory Of Mind Impairment And Schizotypy, Joseph Francis Meyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Psychological Abuse And Violence In College Romantic Relationships, William Amory Barber

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Men, Muscles, And Body Image: Comparisons Of Competitive Bodybuilders, Weight Trainers, And Athletically Active Controls, T. C. Pickett, R. J. Lewis, T. F. Cash, H. G. Pope

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives: To investigate body image and psychosocial adjustment among competitive bodybuilders, non-competitive weight trainers, and athletically active men.

Methods: Participants were 40 men in each of the three groups who were assessed on body composition and multiple facets of body image evaluation, investment and anxiety, eating attitudes, and social self esteem.

Results: Relative to the other two groups, competitive bodybuilders had greater body mass due to fat-free body mass. Although groups did not differ in their situational body image discomfort, competitive bodybuilders and weight trainers had a more positive global appearance evaluation and were more psychologically invested in their physical …

The Influence Of Sociocultural Factors On Body Image: Searching For Constructs, Thomas F. Cash

Psychology Faculty Publications

Body image is a multidimensional construct that has received increasing scientific study over the past few decades. Considerable research has examined the determinants of body image development and functioning and their implications for other aspects of psychosocial wellbeing, especially eating pathology among girls and young women. Cafri, Yamamiya, Brannick, and Thompson (this issue) reported the results of a meta-analysis of how selected, self-reported sociocultural influence variables correlate with the basic dimension of body image evaluation. Their work raises and reinforces important questions about the definition and measurement of sociocultural influence constructs.

An Evaluation Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation As A Model For Supporting Students With Emotional And Behavioral Difficulties In Mainstream Classrooms, Lee Wilkinson

Lee A Wilkinson, PhD

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) is an indirect form of service delivery in which parents and teachers collaborate to meet the academic, social, and behavioral needs of children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate CBC as a method of providing behavioral support for two students with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) in mainstream classrooms. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants’ design and a follow-up phase were employed to assess an evidence-based intervention (self-management) delivered in the context of the CBC model. Results indicated a significant increase in teacher ratings of behavioral control from baseline to treatment. Positive treatment effects …

Can Hopelessness And Adolescents’ Beliefs And Attitudes About Seeking Help Account For Help Negation?, Coralie J. Wilson

Frank Deane

Avoidance of appropriate help is common in acutely suicidal samples and has been confirmed in nonclinical samples but factors that contribute to this help negation effect remain unclear. The current study is the second in series from the first author's larger PhD research program. In a sample of 269 nonclinical Australian high school students, the current study examines the impact of hopelessness, previous mental health care, beliefs, and attitudes toward professional psychological help on the help negation relationship. Results revealed that suicidal ideation significantly predicted lower help seeking intentions and that although hopelessness could not explain the help negation effect, …

Help Seeking For Mental Health Problems In Adolescence And Early Adulthood., Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Adolescence and young adulthood are critical life stages for mental health, as this is the period when most mental health problems and mental disorders have their peak incidence. It is also a time of increased suicidal ideation and frequency of suicide attempts. Despite the importance of adolescence and young adulthood in the aetiology of mental disorders, there is evidence that young people may be poorly informed about mental health and are unlikely to consult a professional for their mental health problems. Help-seeking is a term used to refer to the behaviour of actively seeking help from other people. …

The "Frozen-In-Time" Effect In Evaluations Of The Dead., Dafna Eylon, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

Measuring Help-Seeking Intentions: Properties Of The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire, Coralie J. Wilson

Frank Deane

A clear understanding of help-seeking intentions and behavior is fundamental to the identification of factors that can be modified to facilitate young people’s help-seeking when they are psychologically distressed or suicidal. Despite considerable research on help-seeking intentions and behavior for personal-emotional or distressing problems, integrating prior research has been impeded by a lack of consistent and psychometrically sound help-seeking measures. The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) was developed to formally assess two aspects of help-seeking: (1) current intentions to seek help from different sources for different problems; and (2) quantity and quality of previous professional psychological helping episodes. The current study …

Using Advertising Principles To Help Marketing Students Land Their First Job, Ronald Paugh, Oscar T. Mcknight, Setor Danku

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

As competition intensifies for entry-level marketing jobs, students of marketing must become more adept at sharpening their self-marketing and job search skills. The authors illustrate how advertising principles can be applied to this "creative" endeavor

A New Paradigm In Student Course Evaluation: From Instructor Satisfaction To Course Content, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, M Manzo

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

No abstract provided.