Psychology Commons^™

Does The Concept Of “Altered States Of Consciousness” Rest On A Mistake?, Adam J. Rock, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Block (2002) has argued that the multiplicity of meanings ascribed to consciousness is due

to the erroneous treatment of very different concepts as a single concept. Block distinguished

four notions of consciousness intended to encapsulate the various meanings attributed to

the term: phenomenal, access, self, and monitoring consciousness. We argue that what is

common to all of these definitions is the implicit distinction between consciousness and the

content of consciousness. We critically examine the term “altered state of consciousness”

and argue that affixing the qualifier “altered state” to consciousness results in a theoretical

confusion of consciousness and its content, that …

The Challenges, Prospects, And Promise Of Transpersonal Psychology, Paul F. Cunningham

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Several substantial critiques remain a source of fractionalizing debate within transpersonal

psychology, including the weakness of its definition, whether it is redundant with Wilber’s

integral psychology, whether it is a scientific field, whether it is too metaphysical, whether it

neglects the problem of evil, and what contribution can it make to mainstream psychology.

This article explicates these and related areas of critique and provides a response that identifies

the essential challenges and future prospects of transpersonal psychology. The article also

emphasizes the field’s unique role as a potential bridge connecting psychological science with

the transpersonal psyche in a way that …

Applying Quantitative Research Methods In Transpersonal Psychology: Introduction To Special Topic Section, Harris L. Friedman, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Mindfulness In Measurement: Reconsidering The Measurable In Mindfulness Practice, Sharon G. Solloway, William P. Fisher Jr.

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Can an organic partnership of qualitative and quantitative data confirm the value of mindfulness practice as an assignment in undergraduate education? Working from qualitative evidence suggesting the existence of potentially measurable mindfulness effects expressed in ruler measures, a previous study calibrated a mathematically invariant scale of mindfulness practice effects with substantively and statistically significant differences in the measures before and after the assignment. Current efforts replicated these results. The quantitative model is described in measurement terms defined at an introductory level. Detailed figures and appendices are provided, and a program of future research is proposed.

A Third Model Of Self-Construal: The Metapersonal Self, Teresa L. Decicco, Mirella L. Stroink

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This research adds a third model and measure of self-construal to the current psychological literature: the metapersonal self-construal. This model extends previous theory and research, which has established two self-construal orientations to date: the independent and interdependent self-construal. The research presents a series of studies investigating the theoretical and psychometric properties of the third model and measure. Study 1 produced a valid and reliable 10-item self-report scale of the metapersonal self. Study 2 determined the scale to be low in social desirability bias. Studies 3 and 4 examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the three self-construal scales. Investigations among …

Editors’ Introduction, Harris Friedman, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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The Gingrich Who Stole Compassion: Why The Two C'S Can't Teach The Three R'S: A Commentary On Compassionate Conservatism And Teaching Social Justice, Dr. Harold Rodinsky Ph.D.

Verbum Incarnatum: An Academic Journal of Social Justice

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Book Review The Fall: Evidence For A Golden Age, 6,000 Years Of Insanity And The Dawning Of A New Era, By Steve Taylor, Elias Capriles

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

Ketamine-Enhanced Psychotherapy: Preliminary Clinical Observations On Its Effects In Treating Death Anxiety, Eli Kolp, Scott M. Young, Harris Freidman, Evgeny Krupirsky, Karl Jansen, Laurie-Ann O’Connor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic commonly used by US physicians, has recently been

shown to be a powerful anti-depressant and is also capable of eliciting transpersonal experiences

that can be transformative. Although currently approved in the US only for use as an

anesthetic, physicians there can legally prescribe it off-label to treat various psychological/

psychiatric problems and it has been used for these non-anesthetic purposes in Argentina,

Iran, Mexico, Russia, and the UK, as well as in the US. The literature on using ketamine

psychotherapeutically is reviewed and two case studies using ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy

(KEP) for treating death anxiety in terminally-ill …

Book Review: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, By Michael A. Singer, Gene Thursby

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Out-Group Exploitation Through Depersonalization In A Prisoner's Dilemma Game, Risa Ohkawa

Modern Psychological Studies

The experiment examined how salience of out-group membership affects an individual's tendency to financially exploit an out-group member in a prisoner's dilemma (PD) game and a monetary bonus allocation task. It also examined the role of depersonalization of self and others. Half of the research participants played a PD game to win money with an imaginary opponent, who had a foreign accent, and the other half did with an opponent, who spoke fluent English. A salient indication of out-group membership was present in the former (accent) condition, and it was absent in the latter (control). Participants were also asked to …

The Relation Between College Student Involvement And Satisfaction, Whitney D. Reed, Stephanie P. Da Silva

Modern Psychological Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between college students' involvement and their overall satisfaction with their college experience. It was predicted that the more a student is involved, the more he/she will be satisfied with the college experience. The 60 male and female respondents were traditional students at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. A survey was administered to assess student involvement based on the diversity (types of activities) and amount (hours per week) of participation. Each student's satisfaction with college also was assessed using a self-devised scale. A moderate positive correlation was detected, p<.01, where 12% of the variance in student satisfaction was accounted for by student involvement. The implications and limitations are discussed.

Alleviating Skin Picking Behavior In Prader-Willi Syndrome Using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors And Topiramate: A Review Of The Literature, Jessica M. Blurton

Modern Psychological Studies

This paper discusses what is known currently about treating skin picking behavior in people with Prader-Willi Syndrome using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and topiramate. Because of small samples and flawed methodology it is argued that the advantages and disadvantages of either drug therapy are not fully known at this time, but that future research is strongly indicated. Some suggestions for further studies are discussed.

Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: The Effects Of Electronic Media And The Social Desirability Bias, Brandi A. Klein

Modern Psychological Studies

This study examined the effects of mental illness portrayal in film and the social desirability bias on participants' attitudes toward mental illness. Participants watched video clips of a mentally ill character acting either normally or abnormally, and were given either anonymous or confidential questionnaires. Participants who viewed abnormal behavior reported more negative attitudes toward mental illness than participants who watched normal behavior (p < .001) on the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale (Hirai & Clum, 2000). No difference was found between the anonymous and confidential conditions, and these scores did not vary by the viewed behavior. These results suggest that the electronic media influenced participants' attitudes toward mental illness, but participants were not influenced by the social desirability bias.

Gender Bias In Peer Grading Among Undergraduate Students, Elizabeth Dalton

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Using the observation that people refer to their own genders when talking about an unknown author, one might infer that people might relate to authors of their same sex. If this is true, this could be a gender bias as people could attribute good qualities of an unknown author to their gender. This led to an investigation of gender bias in peer grading where students were thought to attribute better grades on a paper if the author is their same sex. Participants were separated into three groups separated by the knowledge of the author’s gender then asked to grade a …

The Effects Of Relatedness And Order Of Anagrams On The Ability To Recall, Dana Castrellon, Mai Ozaki, Sarah Staley

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This paper discusses the effects of the relatedness and order in which words are presented on a person’s ability to solve anagrams. One of the hypotheses was that it would be easier to recall anagrams if they were related and presented in the same order as the study sheet. The other was that a person would more easily recall words if they are related rather than unrelated. Forty-eight participants were recruited and asked to complete two of four anagrams tests. The results of a one-way MANOVA examining the effect of consistency of item order did not reveal statistically significant results. …

I Changed My Mind, Jodi Curtis, Adam Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Some might say that college is a time for people to find out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Students select fields based on their interest, to study and further turn into a career. Some students become unsatisfied with their choice, or even find interest in another field. This leads to students making the decision to change their major and pursue another major. In this paper, it is hypothesized that due to exposure to different, required, general education classes of different fields, students change their majors. Data was collected from students enrolled in capstone classes, …

Why Do You Come To Lu?, Sara Hawkins, Amanda Schmidt

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons that people attend and continue to attend Lindenwood University. We examined 129 surveys completed by current Lindenwood University students. The survey asked a variety of questions, including demographic data, resident/commuter status, and what the student likes/dislikes about Lindenwood. There were two hypotheses for this study. Our first hypothesis was that commuter students would attend class more often than resident students. Our second hypothesis was that scholarships/funding was the top reason that students chose to come to Lindenwood. While our second hypothesis did yield statistical significance, our first one did not. …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Mediating The Cultivation Of Fear Through Media Literacy Education, Catherine N. Collins, Kristine L. Slank

Modern Psychological Studies

College students (N = 110) received a media literacy intervention based on critical thinking or they received no intervention. Students were also classified as low or high television viewers based on responses to a Television Use Survey. Fear was measured with a Safety Survey and analyzed with a 2 Intervention x 2 Television Viewing ANOVA. Fear was expected to be lower in the intervention and low television viewing groups than in the no intervention and high television viewing groups. However, no results were significant.

Acculturative Strategies And The Outcomes Of Self-Esteem And Well-Being Of Latino Immigrants To Boston, Jane Mellors

Modern Psychological Studies

Acculturation is the negotiation process that immigrants undergo as they struggle to adapt to their new culture. Four acculturative strategies are thought to exist that immigrants can choose, and, although the selection of an acculturative strategy is influenced by the sociocultural context, the adoptions of different strategies have been associated with specific psychological outcomes (Berry, 1997, 2005; Neto, 2002; Sam, 2000). Past acculturative research has largely focused on areas outside of the United States; the current project is designed to fill a gap in the psychological literature by exploring Boston, Massachusetts, a city which has experienced a tremendous increase of …