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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

The Impact Of Psychiatric Labels And Sexual Orientation On Attitudes Toward People With Pedophilic Attractions, Gabriel Traub Jan 2023

The Impact Of Psychiatric Labels And Sexual Orientation On Attitudes Toward People With Pedophilic Attractions, Gabriel Traub

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This study explores whether framing pedophilic attractions as a mental disorder and/or manipulating the sexual orientation of these attractions impacts attitudes toward people with pedophilic attractions (PPA). This study used an experimental 2 (Pathological Language vs. Non-Pathological Language) by 2 (Heterosexual vs. Homosexual) between-subjects design, in which online participants read a vignette describing a fictional subject’s pedophilic attractions. Both independent variables were manipulated within the vignette, in that the subject’s attractions were either given a pathological or non-pathological explanation, and were either heterosexual or homosexual. To assess stigmatizing attitudes, participants reported their affective responses, agreement with beliefs/stereotypes about the individual, …


Myths And Fables Of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Stigmas Of Ect In College Students, Madison Anne Brown Jan 2023

Myths And Fables Of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Stigmas Of Ect In College Students, Madison Anne Brown

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This study builds upon extensive research on Electroconvulsive Therapy’s (ECT) effectiveness and advancements over time while providing insight into its continuous stigmatization as a psychotherapeutic treatment. The literature provided in this paper explores ECT’s historical background and its misrepresentations in society commonly perpetuated in the media. To further examine present day perceptions of ECT, this study evaluated Bard College undergraduate students’ (n = 24) knowledge, attitudes, and stigmas towards ECT. The data was collected using a five part questionnaire concerning the socio-demographic of participants (part 1), stigmas about ECT (part 2), knowledge about ECT (part 3), sources of knowledge of …


Diversity In Diagnosis: A Comparative Relationship Between The Social Behavioral Effects And Timing Of Adhd Diagnosis In African American Adults, K. N'Kira Hailey Jan 2023

Diversity In Diagnosis: A Comparative Relationship Between The Social Behavioral Effects And Timing Of Adhd Diagnosis In African American Adults, K. N'Kira Hailey

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are first seen during childhood and can persist throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Symptoms of ADHD can differ between childhood and adulthood, and there can also be a difference in symptoms for African American adults compared to other groups. Childhood social support and mental health stigma can affect the probability of a person seeking professional help. In addition, the severity of their symptoms, especially if untreated, may lead to experiences of impostor syndrome. This study examined these three social behavioral effects in Black adults in three diagnosis conditions: diagnosed as (1) a child, (2) …


Tripping Over Trauma: A Proposal Of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy For Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Depression, Liam Paul Gomez Jan 2022

Tripping Over Trauma: A Proposal Of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy For Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Depression, Liam Paul Gomez

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a widespread, often debilitating affliction that is only partially attenuated by current first-line treatment despite its heightened prominence in the sociopolitical arena. Since individuals with PTSD also experience high rates of depression comorbidity and resultant suicidality, it is essential that treatment is more holistically effective. A possible novel intervention, psilocybin-assisted therapy, has shown promising results for the improvement of depression, addiction, and other disorders; prospectively, when administered with non-directive therapy, it could prove to be an efficacious intervention for PTSD with comorbid depression. In the proposed study, there will be two participant groupings: the control …


A Crossroads In The Us Opioid Epidemic: A Systematic Comparison Of Current And Novel Treatments Reveals Possibilities For Systemic Change, Emma N. Hancox Jan 2022

A Crossroads In The Us Opioid Epidemic: A Systematic Comparison Of Current And Novel Treatments Reveals Possibilities For Systemic Change, Emma N. Hancox

Senior Projects Spring 2022

The Opioid Crisis has claimed the lives of over 1 million Americans since the 1990’s. Rates of fatal opioid overdoses have risen dramatically due to the corrupted nature of Purdue Pharma and the increased prevalence of highly potent synthesized opioids. In the United States, nearly 2.5million individuals need treatment while only a fraction of them are able to receive treatment. Unfortunately, due to high dropout rates, the effectiveness of current Opioid Use Disorder treatment cannot be properly evaluated. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, states have been tackling the Opioid Crisis by implementing treatment initiation and retention strategies. These strategies aim at …


Merging The Waves: An Eclectic Approach To Practicing Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Diksha Chittavidya-Ananda Jan 2021

Merging The Waves: An Eclectic Approach To Practicing Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Diksha Chittavidya-Ananda

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Surveys of major trends in psychotherapy reveal that the large majority of psychotherapists draw therapeutic strategies from a number of different theoretical orientations. Among the most endorsed theoretical orientations by contemporary therapists are cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapies. Despite the widespread tendency for therapists to eclectically combine theories, few sources exist to guide therapists in cohesively using both CBT and mindfulness theories together in clinical practice. This paper will discuss the clinical and empirical rationale for (and against) using CBT in conjunction with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and explore how both therapies can be systematically used together …


The Incorporation Of Indigenous Tradition In Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Pathway To Cultural Inclusivity Within Mental Health, Angelo Adonnis Winings Jan 2021

The Incorporation Of Indigenous Tradition In Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Pathway To Cultural Inclusivity Within Mental Health, Angelo Adonnis Winings

Senior Projects Spring 2021

The use of psychedelic medicine has been a part of society and the evolution of humanity since the beginning of our existence. Throughout the years, these practices were integrated into cultures around the world throughout the years, as societal structures promoted traditional practices reflective of ritual and custom. One such practice that survived the test of time is the use of psychoactive substances to promote mental states that put the user in touch with spiritual ancestors as well as with the subtleties of the world around them. These practices included tribal usage in indigenous cultures from Africa, the Americas, parts …


Regulating Self-Image On Social Media: Associations Between Social Anxiety And Instagram Control Behaviors, Isabel Polletta Jan 2020

Regulating Self-Image On Social Media: Associations Between Social Anxiety And Instagram Control Behaviors, Isabel Polletta

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Individuals with social anxiety try to avoid or disengage when there is a perceived lack of control in a social situation. This study examined individual differences in social anxiety to better understand how levels of social anxiety are related to differences in self-preservation and image protection behaviors on Instagram, an image-based social media application. The purpose of this empirical study was to explore Instagram control behaviors by applying Schlenker and Leary’s (1982) Social Anxiety and Self-Presentation (SASP) conceptualization model. Instagram has features and settings that allow individuals to exert varying degrees of control over the content they share on their …


An Exploration Of Musical Performance Anxiety (Mpa) And Its Relation To Perfectionism And Performance, Gitta Marko Jan 2019

An Exploration Of Musical Performance Anxiety (Mpa) And Its Relation To Perfectionism And Performance, Gitta Marko

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) is a critical and common issue for musicians, as much of their success and income depends on their quality of performance. MPA is the experience of distressful apprehension about and/or impairment of performance, not reflecting the individual’s musical abilities. Since the pressure to perform their best is extremely high for musicians, striving for perfection in this field is typical. In my senior project, I investigated the elements and mechanisms behind the development of MPA and its relation to perfectionism. Seventeen Bard Conservatory musicians’ levels of MPA and perfectionism were assessed using established measures prior to their …


Stimulus Regulation In Pediatric Trichotillomania, Tia Rose Lee Jan 2019

Stimulus Regulation In Pediatric Trichotillomania, Tia Rose Lee

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Previous research on pediatric trichotillomania (TTM) has focused on the difference between two different subgroups of hair-pullers: “focused” pullers (i.e. those who pull within their awareness) and “automatic” pullers (i.e. those who pull outside of their awareness; Christenson et al., 1992; Flessner et al., 2008; Penzel, 2003). To date, only one other study has examined how sensory processing may differ between these two groups, or how these differences may impact these groups’ hair-pulling triggers (Falkenstein et al., 2018). Thus, the aim of the current study was to analyze how sensory processing patterns may differ between predominantly focused pullers and predominantly …


The Effect Of Facebook On Body Dissatisfaction: Ethnicity As A Possible Moderator, Haley E. Brown Jan 2018

The Effect Of Facebook On Body Dissatisfaction: Ethnicity As A Possible Moderator, Haley E. Brown

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Eating disorders have demonstrated the most extreme rise in prevalence out of all the mental illnesses since 1990 (Lozano et al., 2012). However, research has largely neglected to investigate cross-cultural effects on disordered eating, and thus, findings may only apply to Western samples. Only two known prior studies have investigated effects of social media on disordered eating cross-culturally. This project helps fill a substantial research gap by examining social media effects on body image concerns in a culturally diverse sample of Australian undergraduate women (N= 185). The effect of a ten-minute Facebook exposure on women’s body dissatisfaction and appearance comparison …


An Obsession Matched Intervention Improves The Facial/Emotional Recognition Deficit In Children With Asperger’S Syndrome, Aurora Claire Hoffman Jan 2017

An Obsession Matched Intervention Improves The Facial/Emotional Recognition Deficit In Children With Asperger’S Syndrome, Aurora Claire Hoffman

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) falls on the high-functioning end of the Autism Spectrum. AS is often characterized by a deficit in social/emotional/facial processing, resistance to change, and routine and repetitive behaviors and interests. Prior research has uncovered that AS individuals process faces in a detail-oriented piecemeal fashion, rather than holistically. They are also found to pay less visual attention to faces and social stimuli. Theoretical explanations that account for this particular functioning and processing style include Weak Central Coherence Theory (WCC) and Hyper-Systemizing Theory. WCC implies that AS individuals do not process instances within context, which contributes to their inability to …


Facial Emotion Recognition Impairments In Subclinical Depression, Charles Hale Leighton Jan 2017

Facial Emotion Recognition Impairments In Subclinical Depression, Charles Hale Leighton

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Depression brings with it a wide variety range of symptoms. One of the least studied symptoms in depression is an impairment in the ability to recognize the emotions on the faces of others. Previous literature has shown both that many people without diagnosed depression still display some depressive symptoms as well as that the impairments in emotion recognition are an extremely common symptom. These impairments are frequently associated with an increase in the severity of other symptoms, which makes their presence in subclinical populations especially important to uncover. In this proposed study, 400 students who don’t meet the diagnostic criteria …


Proposed Intervention To Improve Recently Immigrated Hispanic Adolescents' Academic Performance And Psychological Well-Being, Samantha Lagville-Graham Jan 2017

Proposed Intervention To Improve Recently Immigrated Hispanic Adolescents' Academic Performance And Psychological Well-Being, Samantha Lagville-Graham

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.


Distortion In Body Schema: The Influence Of Body Fat And Mass On Perceptions Of Personal Size, Katarina Ann Ferrucci Jan 2017

Distortion In Body Schema: The Influence Of Body Fat And Mass On Perceptions Of Personal Size, Katarina Ann Ferrucci

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Obesity has been linked with a myriad of negative outcomes for both physical and mental health including feeding and eating disorders and cognitive impairments that affect perception of body size. Understanding the cognitive mechanisms and physiological factors that contribute to perception of body size may help us to comprehend how obesity impacts the construction and development of one’s mental body representations. Previous research by Scarpina, Castelnuovo, and Molinari (2014) suggests that, compared to those with a normal Body Mass Index, individuals with a BMI greater than 30 (obese) not only inaccurately estimate tactile and mental distances on their own bodies, …


Mad Men Or Bad Men? How Gender Stereotypes, Individual Symptoms, And Participant Gender Affect Non-Expert's Evaluations Of People With Borderline Personality Disorder, Quinnehtukqut James Mclamore Jan 2016

Mad Men Or Bad Men? How Gender Stereotypes, Individual Symptoms, And Participant Gender Affect Non-Expert's Evaluations Of People With Borderline Personality Disorder, Quinnehtukqut James Mclamore

Senior Projects Spring 2016

Gender-role stereotypes affect how people with mental disorders are perceived and judged. People with a gender-stereotype congruent mental disorder (i.e., men with alcohol use disorder) are viewed as less mentally ill and more to blame for their disorder than people with a gender stereotype-incongruent disorder (i.e., women with alcohol use disorder, Wirth & Bodenhausen, 2009). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms and comorbidities often vary between men and women along gendered lines (i.e., explosive anger is more common in men with BPD and compulsive buying is more common in women). These different presentations may cause men and women with BPD to …


Game And Train: A Targeted Game-Based Mobile Intervention For The Treatment Of Incarcerated Psychopathic Offenders, Sydney Lauren Abualy Jan 2015

Game And Train: A Targeted Game-Based Mobile Intervention For The Treatment Of Incarcerated Psychopathic Offenders, Sydney Lauren Abualy

Senior Projects Spring 2015

The treatment of psychopathic offenders has been a neglected topic in the clinical field. Most interventions available have failed to address core psychopathic traits and instead, use generalized treatments that solely target criminal risk reduction. These current treatments have been shown to yield unsuccessful results related to behavior change and lead to recidivism. The proposed intervention, Game and Train, acts as a response to the inadequate treatments currently available. Two hundred male incarcerated psychopathic offenders will be recruited and asked to participate in an intensive 6-week intervention, Game and Train, that will be accessed via a smart mobile device. The …


The Impact Of Ptsd On Veterans’ Family Relationships: Mechanisms Of Distress And Available Treatments, Adam D. Lamotte Jan 2012

The Impact Of Ptsd On Veterans’ Family Relationships: Mechanisms Of Distress And Available Treatments, Adam D. Lamotte

Senior Projects Spring 2012

When veterans return home from war with PTSD, the disorder can have detrimental effects on their close family relationships. Researchers have proposed different mechanisms underlying the distress experienced by partners and children of veterans with PTSD in the hopes that these mechanisms can be targeted in treatment. The purpose of this project is to review and synthesize the current literature on these mechanisms of distress, as well as the treatments that have been designed to address them. This review examines several key factors that account for veterans’ relationship distress, including the important factors of intimacy and aggression. Due to the …