Psychology Commons^™

Solution Focused Brief Expressive Arts Therapy, David Sherman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This graduate capstone thesis paper and project proposes a new therapeutic intervention called Solution-Focused Brief Expressive Arts Therapy (SFBExAT). This intervention and approach is based on the synthesized theories, techniques, and principles of Expressive Arts Therapy (ExAT) and Solution- Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). A review of relevant literature on the combined use of SFBT, ExAT and expressive therapies, as well as on the foundational literature of the individual theories establishes conceptual grounds for a SFBExAT model. A SFBExAT intervention is developed and explained. The intervention was ultimately applied in a hospital outpatient setting with a teenage client. The process, results …

Transformational Relationships: Re-Framing Impact In Faith-Based Social Service Organizations, Sonja E. Schappert

Master's Projects and Capstones

Theories of change and logic models are the industry standard foundation for impact evaluation. However, half of all nonprofits do not use these models due to resource constraints or the perception that their work does not fit into a model. This is especially true in relationship-based programs, such as those in faith-based social services. This Capstone examines the influence of relationship theory on a faith-based organization’s impact. The research methodology included deductive, action-based research with a foundational literature review focused on nonprofit planning and evaluation theory and social science theory. Then a total of 6 expert interviews were conducted, 3 …

Moral Foundations Of U.S. Political News Sources, William Edward Padfield

MSU Graduate Theses

The media ecosystem has grown, and political opinions have diverged such that there are competing conceptions of objective truth. Commentators often point to political biases in news coverage as a catalyst for this political divide. The Moral Foundations Dictionary (MFD) facilitates identification of ideological leanings in text through frequency of the occurrence of certain words. Through web scraping, the researcher extracted articles from popular news sources’ websites, calculated MFD word frequencies, and identified words’ respective valences. This process attempts to uncover news outlets’ positive or negative endorsements of certain moral dimensions concomitant with a particular ideology. In Experiment 1, the …

Best Predictive Factor For Knowledge Of How To Appropriately Respond To Suicidal Individuals, Sadie Elizabeth Flood

MSU Graduate Theses

Suicide is a major health crisis affecting all parts of the world. Although extensive research has been conducted on suicide and numerous suicide prevention programs are in place, there still exists a gap in our knowledge as to how to encourage the public to reach out to individuals who may be suicidal. The aim of the current study is to examine methods of responding when confronted by an individual with suicidal tendencies. Participants completed four scales measuring their knowledge of suicide, personality characteristics, level of suicide stigma, and knowledge of how best to respond to an individual with suicidal tendencies. …

Adhd Malingering In A College Setting, Peerasin Chatchawarat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An increase in the number of adults seeking ADHD evaluations as college students in recent years raises concerns of malingered or exaggerated attentional impairments. Some students may falsely report ADHD symptoms in an attempt to obtain academic accommodations as well as prescriptions for stimulant medications. Meanwhile, little attention has been given to the development of either self-reported measures or performance-based tests that can ensure the validity of reported or exhibited attentional symptoms. In 2015, Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS) released an improved version of a continuous performance test, the Conners Continuous Performance 3rd Edition (Conners CPT 3), which may have improved …

The Dud Effect: The Effect Of Dissimilar Fillers In Eyewitness Lineups, Shannon Booth

Student Theses

Similarity and confidence are often analyzed in relation to eyewitness accuracy. Duds, highly dissimilar fillers, can impact an eyewitness’ accuracy and confidence. This study analyzed the impact of duds, similarity and accuracy in the context of lineup bias. This study found that in target-absent conditions there is a significant positive relationship between lineup bias and confidence. This study also found that highly similar lineups results in a lower proportion of correct identification, even in highly confident witnesses, compared to medium similar and low similar lineups. Further research should look closer at the “sweet spot” of similarity in order to advise …

Exploring Creativity: A Multi-Perspective Examination, Caitlin Beach

Honors Projects

This paper is inspired by the personal nature and fluid definition of creativity. It examines creativity literature in three different areas of study. These include philosophy, psychology and sociology. The main questions used to guide this research include: What is creativity? Where does creativity come from? How can we nurture creativity? Each perspective’s answers to these questions are discussed and then similarities between them are determined. Methods such as heuristics, that an individual can use to enhance their creativity are discussed. Improved creative thought can improve problem solving skills and provide career opportunities, thus improving overall quality of life.

The Yips: A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Experience Of A Lost Movement, Patrick O'Brien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the experience of the yips, a phenomenon in athletics in which individuals lose the ability to perform a basic, habitual movement of their sports. There is a growing body of research which frames the yips as a movement disorder with possible physical or psychological etiologies, or with components of both. This study centers on the experiences of athletes with the yips, seeking to understand the nature and meaning of the relationship between yips-experienced individuals and their yips, as well as what these meanings reveal about the yips in general. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews …

Prevalence Of Moral Injury In Canadian Forces Members Deployed To Afghanistan, Kevin T. Hansen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Moral injury is a relatively new area of study within military mental health care, as such, prevalence estimates for both moral injury and exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIE; a moral injury precursor) are unknown for many of the world’s militaries. PMIE is commonly defined as the perpetrating, failing to prevent, witnessing, or learning about acts or events that transgress an individual’s deeply held moral belief(s). The primary purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PMIE in a population of Canadian Armed Forces (CF) members who served in support of the recent mission to Afghanistan. How …

Developing A Multi-Dimensional Measure Of Growth Mindset For School Improvement, Thomas Hartka

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The goal of the present study was to create a multi-dimensional growth mindset (MGM) measure. The purpose of the measure was to serve as an indicator of improvement for a team of 6^th grade Math teachers in a local Middle School. These teachers noted that while their students were showing stronger self-reported growth mindset beliefs following interventions, they were not consistently displaying improvement in growth mindset behaviors. Following deeper discussions with this team of teachers and review of the growth mindset literature, six dimensions of growth mindset were identified: (1) intelligence belief, (2) effort, (3) persistence, (4) mistakes, (5) …

A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Exploration Of Practitioner Use, Development, And Satisfaction Of Theoretical Paradigms In Sport Psychology, Christopher E. Bilder

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify the use, development, and perceived satisfaction of current theoretical paradigms by sport psychology practitioners. Participants for the quantitative portion of the study were 170 (95 women, 65 men) sport psychology practitioners.

Results of a frequency analysis revealed that most practitioners use an integrative paradigm type, and the most commonly used paradigms were CBT, ACT, and humanistic. A descriptive analysis revealed that theoretical paradigms are developed across all developmental levels. Independent between-groups ANOVAs indicated that primary training background significantly impacted the principles perceived to be necessary (i.e., sport science …

Beyond Words: Expressive Arts Therapy In Individual And Group Process In Recovery From Trauma, Agnes Carbrey

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper describes expressive arts therapies that are interventions for the treatment of trauma. A literature review of this broad topic is narrowed to define art therapy used in conjunction with talk therapy, and provides brief examples from dance movement therapy, visual arts therapy, poetry-journaling-storytelling therapy, and sound-music therapy. Recent innovations in the field include the use of body-oriented interventions and group processes. When thinking about trauma, the body is a positive and negative reservoir of memory, and trauma may be trapped in the body. The author reviews the overlap between contemporary art, contemporary dance movement analysis, and forms of …

The Profession Of Modeling And Simulations: Unifying The Organization, John Lord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The organization of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) as a profession started in the early twenty-first century spurred by the advent of computers and the vast networking capabilities of contemporary computing. M&S is still in its infancy when compared to other disciplines, such as engineering, computer science and mathematics. However, the profession has experienced significant growth in part due to the varied use of M&S techniques and tools within almost every discipline. Professional organizations and academic programs supporting M&S across the country have started to materialize. In a short timeframe, the growth of these supporting organizations has outpaced their ability to …

Different Strokes For Different But Reasonable Folks: Comparison Of Legally Relevant Observers’ Perceptions Of Custody, Fabiana Alceste

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right against compelled self-incrimination. In Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the U.S. Supreme Court extended this right to police interrogations. In that landmark ruling, the Court required police to inform suspects in custody of their rights to silence and counsel during custodial interrogations. Custody is determined by evaluating the objective circumstances of the questioning and asking whether a reasonable person would have felt free to leave. Previous research on attributions of freedom shows that people perceive situations with regard to freedom differently depending on their perspective—for example, a person in a stressful situation may not feel …

Relationship Between Women's Goals And Pregnancy Risk Behaviors, Sarah Elizabeth Kienzler

Theses and Dissertations

Among adult women, ages of 18 and 24 years old, a high percentage of the pregnancies that occur are unplanned (Finer & Zolna, 2016; Guttmacher Institute, 2016) and unplanned pregnancies have been linked to a greater risk of negative health outcomes for mothers and their infants (Dott, Rasmussen, Hogue, & Reefhuis, 2010; Hellerstedt, Pirie, Lando, Curry, McBride, Grothaus, & Clark Nelson, 1998; Kost, Landry, & Darroch, 1998; Mosher, Jones, & Abma, 2012; Pulley, Klerman, Tang, & Baker, 2002; Sharma, Synkewecz, Raggio, & Mattison, 1994; Weller, Eberstein, & Bailey, 1987). Work among adolescents has found a link between adolescents’ perception of …

First Thirty Days Of Life: Examining Calf Behavioral Development In Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas) And Pacific White-Sided Dolphins (Lagenorhyncus Obliquidens) At One Zoological Facility, Kendal Smith

Master's Theses

Cetacean development is important for general comparative understanding and the implementation of informed husbandry policies. Due to the inaccessibility of many of these species in the wild, researchers can study managed care populations to better understand basic developmental patterns of cetaceans, as well as to improve husbandry policies for facility animals. However, no previous studies have attempted to observe the behavioral development of Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhyncus obliquidens). Eight beluga whale calves and four Pacific white-sided dolphin calves were observed for the first 30 days of life to determine the developmental trajectory of several typically monitored behaviors. The …

Personally Relevant Indoor Nature Imagery’S Impact On Students’ Well-Being, Connection To Nature, And Eco-Conscious Behaviors, Sarena Sabine

Honors Projects

Previous research has shown that experiences in nature are predictive of increased connection to nature, well-being, and pro-environmental behavior. The current study investigated whether daily exposure to indoor nature imagery would also improve well-being and eco-conscious behaviors, and whether personally relevant images would enhance this hypothesized effect. Participants completed a test assessing baseline connection to nature and well-being, specifically satisfaction with life, positive and negative emotions, and stress. In the 2 (Nature vs. Built) X 2 (Familiar vs. Unfamiliar) study design, 125 participants either received a poster from a photo that they submitted (a personally-relevant nature scene or personally-relevant built …

An Investigation Into The Structure Of Self-Control, Parker A. Dreves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-control has been measured using a variety of methods including self-report measures, cognitive inhibition tasks, delay discounting and delay of gratification tasks, and persistence and willpower tasks. Although these are all theoretically linked to processes involved in self-control, recent evidence has shown that these diverse measurement techniques relate only minimally to one another. Assuming that self-control is a reflective construct, this would indicate that many of these tasks are poor indicators of self-control. The present research challenges the common assumption that self-control is a reflective construct and instead proposes that self-control is a formative construct. Conceptualizing self-control as a formative …

Isolation And Support Dynamics Among Concurrent Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Leslie Unger, Chitra Raghavan

Student Theses

The present study analyzed wiretap data to determine the characteristics of social support among concurrent victims of sex trafficking. Using a grounded theory approach to determine prevalent elements and themes that characterize interactions, conversations between women and conversations between pimps and women that involve concurrent victims as a topic of conversation were examined. A coding scheme was created based on the derived elements, and network patterns were analyzed. Finally, temporal patterns of conflict were examined to determine whether periods of heightened threat were used to punctuate periods of seeming calm, similar to that seen in research on coercive control and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Homeless Chronicity, And Age At Onset Of Homelessness, Joseph T. Tucciarone Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood adversity is associated with numerous negative outcomes across multiple domains, including mental and physical health, interrelationships, and social functioning. Notably, research suggests that childhood adversity has a dose-response relationship with these outcomes; that is, greater numbers of adverse experiences in childhood are associated with worse outcomes. These outcomes overlap with many risk factors of homelessness. This study sought to address two questions: 1) Does a dose-response relationship exist between childhood adversity and chronic homelessness? 2) Does childhood adversity negatively predict the age at which homelessness first occurs? Adults experiencing homeless who are accessing homeless services in the Tri-Cities area …

A Comparison Of Anxiety-Related Behavior On The Elevated Plus Task Following Environmental Enrichment In Two Mouse Models For Autism, Khemiah Burke

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This study pertained to the effects of environmental enrichment, which is a physical post-weaning treatment that has been shown to induce beneficial changes in behavior, in two mouse models. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts social behavior and communication. It has been found to develop due to both genetic and environmental influences, and to be comorbid with anxiety disorders. The present study assessed anxious behavior, as measured by the elevated plus task, as an indirect symptom of Autism. Maternally separated CD-1 mice were used as a model of environmentally influenced autism and BTBR mice were used as a model …

The Poetic Function Of Imagination: The Parallel Process Of Poiêsis, Angela Carlson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the advent of Postmodernism, modern approaches to understanding the nature of things is being put into question. As the gap between objective and subjective realms of experiences is narrowing, there is an increased need for a more artful approach to science. This paper serves as my attempt to promote the field of Expressive Arts Therapy (ExATh) as a mode of poetic science for understanding the experience of ‘Being’ in the world. Through a critical review of the semantic development of the ancient Greek concepts poiêsis, noêsis, and aisthêsis, the imagination is identified as a function of alêthaic revealing, …

The Relationship Between Religious Background Of Those Who Disaffiliate From Religion And Presence Of Anxiety, Timothy B. Sellers

Honors College Theses

Religion plays a significant role in the personality and worldview of a many individuals. It can provide one with personal benefits such as coping mechanisms, a framework for meaning-making, and a source of motivation, while also providing social support through connections with others having the same religious beliefs. The removal of said benefits through disaffiliation from a religious identity may lead to distress or anxiety. While much research has been done sociologically regarding the increasing number of people who do not affiliate with a religious group, much less has been done to analyze the individual experience of religious disaffiliation and …

Effect Of Attentional Focus On Learning And Performance In Youth Sports, Justin Wright

Dissertations

Youth athletes are different from adult and elite athletes in several domains that include cognitive resources, working memory, automaticity of motor movements, conscious control for propensity, attentional focus, and acquisition of motor-skills. Due to significant differences between athletes, not all instructions and feedback provided by coaches are best suited for every player. Instructions and feedback may direct an athlete’s attentional focus and cognitive resources incorrectly leading to poor acquisition and performance of motor-skills. Clinical psychologists with knowledge of motor-skill acquisition, cognitive resources, learning theory, conscious control propensity, automaticity of motor movements, constrained action hypothesis, and attentional focus can follow the …

How Digital Versus Non-Digital Modes Of Food Ordering Influence Menu Healthfulness Perceptions And Food Choices, Annika Abell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Do digital devices change the way we think? Recent news reports and studies in education and psychology suggest that using modern internet technology affects our cognitive abilities. Modern technology is part of our daily lives and has facilitated communication. As technology has also changed the ways consumers order foods, the present research aims at investigating how the presence of different types of technology in a food choice context might influence food perceptions and choices. Touch-screen tablets or kiosks are becoming widely available in casual dining and fast-food restaurants. In addition, through collaborations with tech-giants like Uber Eats and Amazon, an …

Meeting Point: Partner Dancing As Couple's Therapy, Rami Eckhaus

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This dissertation research explored the experience of partner dancing as a therapeutic process that reflects upon the dynamics and interactions of couples who are in the process of couple's therapy. The research also aimed to gain insight on the ways in which the experience of partner dancing can support these couples' therapeutic processes. Partner dancing is a dance-form that is based on the interaction between two individuals. Such interaction requires the dancing couples to communicate on many levels that may uncover layers of their relational dynamics. In this research, five couples who were undergoing couple's therapy were asked to participate …

Painting Intimacy: Art-Based Research Of Intimacy, Michal Lev

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This art-based research explores whether — and, if so, how — the process of painting, together with witnessing and reflection on the process and imagery, further an understanding of intimacy. The research also examines the conditions that favor intimacy, the obstacles to intimacy, and the particular features of artistic media, processes and reflection, through the editing of video footage, that can further the intimate experience. The participants in the study were five adults (including the researcher) between the ages of thirty and eighty who were familiar with the creation of visual art. Among them were three women and two men …

Examining The Association Between Childhood Exposure To Substance-Abusive Environments And Factor Two Psychopathic Traits, Cordelia Chou

Student Theses

Psychopathy is a multidimensional construct consisting of aberrant personality characteristics that are categorized as either affective and interpersonal (F1) or antisocial and deviant traits (F2). While the differentiation between F1 and F2 psychopathic traits has been studied, limited research examines the etiologies of the factors. Existing theory hypothesizes that the development of F1 traits is influenced by biological factors, whereas F2 traits arise from environmental influences. F2 traits are theorized to develop as a defensive behavior when individuals are constantly exposed to unhealthy environments or persistent traumatic experiences. One example of an unhealthy environment is exposure to a substance-abusing environment …

The Relationship Between Self-Compassion, Religion, Gender, And Objectified Body Consciousness In Christian Nazarene Women, Arielle R. A. Marston

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Body shame and objectification of the female body are well known contributing factors in physical and mental health issues including high stress, eating disorder symptomatology, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Religion plays a role in body shame and female objectification through both scripture and theological writings although this relationship remains inconclusive. Self-Compassion has been found to be a mitigating factor with regard to body shame in college and caregiver contexts. The Church of the Nazarene promotes itself as supporting female leadership and roles within the church. Since religion and gender roles seem to play a role in body shame and …

Contextually Modulated Avoidance Behavior In Rats Post-Pavlovian Extinction, Lauren Branigan

Theses and Dissertations

The following study sought to examine the psychological substrates of renewal (e.g.., context dependent extinction processes) for conditioned avoidance behaviors in rats. Using signaled active avoidance conditioning, rats acquired two-way shuttle responding, to two different auditory stimuli. These behaviors were then extinguished through exposure to the auditory stimuli where shuttling behavior was now without consequence. Subjects were then tested for renewal of avoidance in three distinct renewal sequences (e.g., ABA vs ABB, AAB vs AAA, and ABC vs ABB) in three separate groups of rats. It was found that subjects showed more responding to a stimulus presented outside of its …