Psychology Commons^™

An Intervention To Increase Ioa And Objectivity In Supervisors At Woodsedge Learning Center, Karli Silverman

Honors Theses

The purpose of my research was to increase interobserver agreement (IOA) and objectivity in supervisors at WoodsEdge Learning Center. We questioned whether or not designing and implementing a new grading sheet would lead to this outcome. Our methodology consisted of internet research regarding interventions to increase these measurements, followed by task analyses of the behaviors that should occur when tutors provided discrete trial training (DTT), surveys regarding the quality of feedback received at WoodsEdge, visits to various early intervention centers, and ended with the creation and multiple revisions of a new grading sheet. My involvement with this intervention ended before …

Unanswered Occupational Calling: The Development And Validation Of A New Measure, Michele Wilk Gazica

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a limited body of research that illuminates the various positive life-, health-, and work-related outcomes that an individual may experience through the pursuit of his or her occupational calling. An occupational calling is defined as an occupation that a person feels drawn to, finds intrinsically enjoyable and meaningful, and identifies as a central part of his or her identity. The extant literature on occupational callings, however, rarely considers the possible detrimental effects of having an occupational calling other than to explain unexpected study results. These unexpected study results hint at adverse psychological and job-related outcomes when an individual …

Methylphenidate Conditioned Place Preference In Juvenile And Adolescent Male And Female Rats, Elizabeth D. Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation was an analysis of the effects of methylphenidate (MPH; trade name: Ritalin) on drug reward using the conditioned place preference (CPP) behavioral paradigm in a rodent model and underlying mechanisms of this effect. Animals were conditioned in adolescence from postnatal day (P)33-39) or P44-49 with saline, 1 or 5 mg/kg MPH. Rats administered 5 mg/kg but not 1 mg/kg MPH, resulted in a significant preference that was more robust in younger male adolescent rats. The 5 mg/kg dose of MPH also resulted in a significant decrease of the dopamine transporter in both the nucleus accumbens and striatum, revealing …

A Good Old Age: Experiencing A Satisfying Life, Kaitlin Thimann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The definition of successful aging has been changing, however, there is a lack of current studies on existing aging trends and how to experience a good old age. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe themes and factors that can lead to an individual experiencing a good old age. This study is a qualitative, exploratory ethnography in which interviews were used to gather information on a good old age from adults aged sixty-five and older. The study revealed that there were several common factors throughout the interviews. Physical and mental health, social support, and financial stability are …

Activating Parents’ Persuasion Knowledge In Children’S Advergames: Testing The Effects Of Advertising Disclosures And Cognitive Load, Nathaniel Joseph Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

This study focused on parents of children between the ages of 7 to 11 and their ability to recognize and understand a children’s advergame as advertising. Using the theoretical framework of the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM), this study experimentally tested the effects of advertising disclosures and cognitive load on parents’ activation of persuasion knowledge in children’s advergames and parents’ attitudes toward children’s advergames. In addition, this study examined how parents’ individual trait differences in persuasion knowledge and mediation of their children’s Internet use potentially influenced their persuasion knowledge in children’s advergames as well as their attitudes toward them. By conducting …

Coaches’ Attitudes Towards Sport Psychology Services: A Study Of Ncaa Division I Head Golf Coaches, Justin Robert Smedley

Masters Theses

In this study a sample of NCAA Division I (D-I) head golf coaches (n = 84) completed a web-based survey assessing their attitudes toward sport psychology (SP) services (i.e., confidence in SP consulting, personal openness, stigma tolerance, and cultural preference), willingness to utilize SP services, previous use and perceived satisfaction with SP services, and if coaches’ attitudes predicted their willingness to utilize SP services. This study also explored participating coaches’ self-reported leadership behaviors (i.e., democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, training and instruction, social support, positive feedback, and situational consideration). Results indicated that coaches who more frequently used and perceived more …

Natural Area Stewardship Volunteers: Motivations, Attitudes, Behaviors, Corinne Handelman

Dissertations and Theses

To better understand the value of those who engage in environmental stewardship of natural areas, we studied volunteer steward's motivation to participate, their sustainable behaviors and attitudes toward stewardship-related constructs. Specifically, we designed and conducted a survey of volunteers who work as stewards in urban natural areas in Portland, Oregon. We hypothesize that as volunteer frequency increases: participants will be more motivated to participate for environmental reasons, volunteers will be more likely to feel a strong connection to the stewardship site, participants will be more likely to engage in public pro-environmental behaviors, and their level of environmental literacy will increase. …

Peak Of The Day Or The Daily Grind: Commuting And Subjective Well-Being, Oliver Blair Smith

Dissertations and Theses

To understand the impact of daily travel on personal and societal well-being, researchers are developing measurement techniques that go beyond satisfaction-based measures of travel. Metrics related Subjective Well-Being (SWB), defined as an evaluation of one's happiness or life satisfaction, are increasingly important for evaluating transportation and land-use policies. This dissertation examines commute well-being, a multi-item measure of how one feels about the commute to work, and how it is shaped. Data are from a web-based survey of workers (n=828) in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., with three roughly equally sized groups based on mode: bike, transit and car users. Descriptive analysis shows …

Alaska Winter's Relationship To Domestic Violence And Alcohol Abuse, Jennifer Marie Read

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Alaska is known for its long, dark, cold winter months. Daylight savings time exists to cope with months that have little sunlight, but that still leaves on average, five hours of daylight. Special light bulbs exist to help with the darkness by providing light that tricks the body into thinking it is getting more sun than it really is. As daylight decreases, the weather turns colder; depression, alcohol, and domestic violence begin to rise. Studies show alcohol related crime and domestic violence occur more during the winter months in Alaska. This research paper will analyze the data pertaining to alcohol …

Stimulus Control By Timing In Pigeons, Neil Mcmillan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Timing has been widely studied in humans and animals across a variety of different timescales. The concept of time as a stimulus dimension, and how it is processed relative to other stimulus dimensions, has only recently been scrutinized. In the current work I present a review of interval timing as it relates to stimulus control, and discuss the role of attention in timing in the context of three sets of studies in pigeons.

In the first set of studies, I analyzed whether the presence of a non-reinforced timed stimulus would disrupt timing of a stimulus reinforced on a fixed-interval schedule. …

Walking Through The Darkness: Pastoral Care To Survivors Of Traumatic Loss, Mary M. Price

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

The aim of this thesis is to define and expand on the experience of traumatic loss and to examine the helpful role that pastoral caregivers play in supporting survivors of traumatic loss. The thesis will discuss and analyze theological and psychological responses to traumatic loss that are both "life-giving" or growth-oriented and "life-limiting" or growth-inhibiting. Its goal is to serve as a guide for pastoral caregivers who are caring for with bereaved people "walking through the darkness" of traumatic loss.

Part I will begin with an overview/analysis of the grief process, and parts II and III will build on the …

Understanding Meaning And Existence: Toward The Development Of A Measure Of Existential Authenticity, Patrick Charles Carmody

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological literature has attempted to address existential questions pertaining to attaining meaningfulness in life, activating one's full potential, persistence in the face of adversity, subjective growth after trauma, and dealing with the inevitability of death. Extant literature holds that many of the constructs currently used to study these phenomena might have common theoretical underpinnings that, at least in part, reside in human personality. A novel personality construct, existential authenticity, is advanced for the consequent development of this thesis.

Sexual Arousal's Effect On College Men's Ability To Detect Protest In A Date Rape Analogue, Timothy J. Geier

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the impact of sexual arousal on college men's ability to identify when sexual advances should cease in response to protest depicted in a date-rape audio vignette. Participant arousal level was manipulated via exposure to one of three experimental videos: a neutral control video, a humor control video, or an erotic video clip. Participants provided subjective arousal levels. Participants then listened to an audio recording depicting conversation and mutual sexual activity escalating to rape. Response latency was obtained when participants indicated the male should refrain from making further sexual advances. Participant latency time did not significantly differ by …

Activation And Suppression Of The Innate Immune System: Effects On Alcohol Intake, Marjorie Levinstein

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Self-Regulation Of Saturated Fat Intake In Blue-Collar Employees: A Randomized Intervention Study, Rameshbabu Anjali

Theses and Dissertations

Blue-collar employees, compared to white-collar workers, are more vulnerable to developing chronic illness and are less likely to make healthy food choices. Saturated fat intake, an indicator of an unhealthy diet, is a major contributor to disease morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Interventions directed at increasing self-regulatory skills for health behaviors could possibly serve to bolster one's sense of personal control in psychological and socio-economic realms. The current study was a 2 x 3 between-subjects repeated-measures randomized experimental design that examined the efficacy of a Self-regulation skill + Education intervention against an Education Only condition over a 6-week period, …

Music Performance Anxiety And Dispositional Flow In Predicting Audition Success In Amateur Percussionists, Benjamin Hyun Stocking

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine personal characteristics of adolescent/young adult percussionists who were successful in their audition for a highly competitive, performing arts unit (i.e. a World-Class junior drum & bugle corps). We were particularly interested in investigating the predictive influence of daily practice time and two psychological variables related to optimal performance (i.e., dispositional flow and musical performance anxiety-MPA).

To Be Here, Then Gone: A Historical Review Of Psychology’S Influence On Determining Time Of Death, Iby Wellborn

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Rating Accuracy On Treatment Fidelity, Joshua Labeff

Honors Theses

The current study attempts to evaluate if there is a relationship between treatment fidelity and interobserver agreement. Participant performance on rating the accuracy of a video demonstration of a functional analysis session was analyzed in comparison to their performance in implementing a mock functional analysis session. Video models (some with confederates and some with the actual participant) of functional analysis conditions were shown to and graded by participants and were immediately followed by their participation in a mock functional analysis session with a confederate child. The results of the study tend to show little to no relationship between the two …

The Effect Of An Exercise Regimen On The Psychological Health Of Parkinson's Disease Patients, Alexander Stephens

Honors Theses

This paper reports a study on the effect of an exercise regimen on the psychological health of Parkinson's disease patients. The 11 participants of the study were Parkinson's disease patients who were participants of a six-week exercise program titled 'Delay the Disease,' which was specifically designed for Parkinson's disease patients. The participants of the study were given the Geriatric Depression Scale twice before the start of the exercise regimen, and once per week for the duration of the six-week exercise regimen. They were also given a quality of life questionnaire at the beginning and end of the regimen. The data …

Genre, Birth Cohort, And Product Perception: Responses To Background Music In Commercial Advertising, Cassidy R. Cavanah

Scripps Senior Theses

Research shows that music transmits both embodied (universally perceptible) and referential (culturally specific) meanings. The present study sought to explore the persuasive power of music in commercial advertising, and the complex ties that exist between music, life experience and perception. The study looked at how the perception of a product could be altered in accordance with specific embodied and referential meanings. With a focus on the effects of music genre and birth cohort on product perception, embodied meanings were expected to produce similar results across birth cohorts, and referential meanings were expected to produce significantly different results. A total of …

Comparison Of Voice And Text Atc Communications In The Cockpit For Esl Pilots, Shannon Marie Cummings

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Throughout the course of any flight, pilots and air traffic control (ATC) are in constant radio communication regarding the position and route of the aircraft. Effective pilot-ATC communication helps to increase safety by increasing the situation awareness of both the pilot and controller. In the current pilot-ATC communication system, auditory messages are sent back and forth between the pilot and controller. The nature of these auditory messages makes them highly susceptible to memory and information processing limitations. This effect is magnified when dealing with pilots who have learned English as a second language (ESL) as people have more difficulty processing …

Correlates Of Help-Seeking Following Stalking Victimization: A Study Of College Women, Saige E. Jutras, Katie Edwards, Kateryna Sylaska

Honors Theses and Capstones

The current study explored factors related to college women’s coping processes associated with stalking using an online survey methodology. Results (N= 305 college women reporting stalking victimization within the last three years) showed that 85% of women disclosed their stalking experiences most commonly to female friends. Additionally, women used a variety of coping mechanisms in response to their stalking victimization; although avoiding thinking about or acting on the stalking experience were the most common strategies, victims rated direct forms of coping as more effective in deterring the stalking behavior. Women’s coping responses to stalking were related to a …

An Examination Of Summer Bridge Programs For First-Generation College Students, Emily Christine Otewalt

Psychology and Child Development

During the last fifty years, nearly half of all students who entered a two- or four-year university withdrew without obtaining a degree. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic minority students, and students who were the first in their family to attend college were particularly vulnerable to this attrition. The following senior project examines current research on the backgrounds and attrition rates of first-generation college students, how "Summer Bridge Programs" aim to assist these students, and where shortcoming exist in current "Summer Bridge Program" assessments.

Discriminating Between Adhd, Adhd With A Comorbid Psychological Disorder And Malingered Adhd In A College Sample, Kimberly Dawn Williamson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined the efficacy of various neuropsychological measures for differentiating ADHD and comorbid ADHD from malingered ADHD in a large state university sample. The sample consisted of 23 nonclinical individuals assigned to malinger ADHD (NLM), 9 nonclinical individuals responding honestly (NLH), 22 individuals with diagnoses of ADHD only (ADHD-H), 9 individuals with comorbid ADHD/Learning Disorder presentations (ADHD-LD), and 13 individuals with comorbid ADHD/Anxiety presentations (ADHD-ANX). Due to limited sample sizes, the ADHD-LD and ADHD-ANX participants were pooled to create a comorbid ADHD group (ADHD-CO n = 22). The study utilized a simulation design with a NLM group instructed …

Creativity Across Cultures: A Comparison Of Cognitive Creativity To Creative Achievement Between The United States And India, Smit Shah

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Creativity is a topic that is relevant to everyday life. Research in this area has mainly focused on comparing creativity in work contexts and between Eastern and Western conceptualizations. The current study was designed to measure differences in creativity between students in the United States and India by comparing a measure of cognitive creativity, the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, to a measure of creative achievement, the Creative Achievement Questionnaire. The results from a linear regression showed that the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults was predictive of the Creative Achievement Questionnaire in the United States, but not in India. Results …

Women’S Intrasexual Variability In Sexual Psychology And Pain Functioning, Charlotte M. Lutz

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sexual orientation, self-described gender expression and preferred levels of gender expression in romantic partners with ischemic pain performance in healthy young women. It was hypothesized that lesbian and bisexual women would be less sensitive to pain than heterosexual women. It was also hypothesized that regardless of sexual orientation, women who endorse a preference for more feminine romantic partners and who describe themselves as more masculine would report higher pain thresholds, higher pain tolerance, and lower pain intensity levels than women who report attraction to more masculine romantic partners and …

The Prevalence Of Burnout Among Chiropractic Practitioners, Shawn P. Williams

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Between-Language Repetition Priming In Antonym Generation: Examining Conceptual Encoding And Representation Of Adjectives, Randy Steven Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has shown repetition priming effects between languages, suggesting that a bilingual's two languages share conceptual representation. However these studies have been conducted mainly utilizing concrete nouns as stimuli. In the present study, it was hypothesized that adjectives would produce significant between-language repetition priming. The experiment utilized a 4 (encoding task) X 2 (test language) within-subjects design in which participants (N = 64) encoded words in read only, translation English to Spanish and translation Spanish to English conditions and at test performed an antonym generation task in either Spanish or English. The results revealed that participants were significantly faster …

The Influence Of Case-Specific Expert Testimony On Juror Sensitivity To Confession Evidence, Skye Alani Woestehoff

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research on the effect of expert testimony has resulted in incongruent findings. Expert testimony has been shown to lead to sensitivity, by educating participants about the evidence and facilitating the application of this knowledge, and skepticism, by causing jurors to distrust the evidence regardless of its quality. The current study explored the role of expert testimony in improving participants' evaluation of confession evidence. Data were collected from 352 students and 281 community members. Participants read a trial transcript that included a low-pressure, medium-pressure, or high-pressure interrogation. Participants also read expert testimony that was general, case-specific, or no testimony at all. …

Eyewitness Memory In Adults, Carlos Manuel Vargas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study encompasses the areas of eyewitness misidentifications and eyewitness suggestibility by developing a Video Suggestibility and Eyewitness Identification Scale for adults. Two hundred one college students were recruited to test this novel psychometric scale following procedures loosely based on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales. The two main subscales proposed are labeled True, which measures non-leading questions answered correctly, and Yield, which measures questions endorsed based on misinformation; two lineup identification subscales were also analyzed for exploration. Reliability estimates showed acceptable internal consistency of True and Yield subscales after negative feedback was provided; while reliability in Target Present Lineups increased and …