Psychology Commons^™

Exploring Students’ Epistemological Understanding Of Atomic Structure Models, Claire V. Ward, Morgan Balabanoff

The Cardinal Edge

Developing a robust understanding of atomic structure and the nature of matter is foundational across chemistry and STEM courses. The development of this concept is challenging because it relies on models to illustrate something not directly observable. Scientific models are important tools used to explain phenomena, particularly phenomena that are not directly observable. In general chemistry, students are typically asked to consider four different models: (1) the particle model, (2) the nuclear model, (3) the Bohr model, and (4) the Quantum model. Each depiction has its own advantages and limitations, where instructors introduce each model to explain specific parts of …

Social Contagion Of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Stephaie Jarvi Steele

Psychology: Faculty Books

This chapter explores the social contagion of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) via interpersonal, media and online exposure among both youths and adults by referencing social learning theory and the Social Exposure to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scale. According to social learning theory, people imitate and learn certain behaviors by identifying with people who act as models. The chapter elaborates on the concepts of social learning, modeling, and imitation, and general recommendations for the assessment and treatment of clinical practice addressing social contagion factors. It then suggests utilizing ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and single-case experimental design (SCED) for future studies on social contagion of …

Relating Spontaneous Activity And Cognitive States Via Neurodynamic Modeling, Matthew Singh

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stimulus-free brain dynamics form the basis of current knowledge concerning functional integration and segregation within the human brain. These relationships are typically described in terms of resting-state brain networks—regions which spontaneously coactivate. However, despite the interest in the anatomical mechanisms and biobehavioral correlates of stimulus-free brain dynamics, little is known regarding the relation between spontaneous brain dynamics and task-evoked activity. In particular, no computational framework has been previously proposed to unite spontaneous and task dynamics under a single, data-driven model. Model development in this domain will provide new insight regarding the mechanisms by which exogeneous stimuli and intrinsic neural circuitry …

Breaking Away: The Role Of Homeostatic Drive In Perpetuating Depression, Jonathan Tory Toole

Theses and Dissertations

The brain can be considered a complicated system of feedback mechanisms that maintain physiological homeostasis. Through psychological activity, neurochemicals act as homeostatic regulators. This study proposes that these components are part of a regulatory system that is capable of supporting multiple homeostatic regimes that, in turn, give rise to self-sustaining psychological behaviors. This project hypothesizes that such alternate regulatory programs may play a role in perpetuating psychological dysfunction. Interactions within and between components of the neurotransmitter network are represented as a set of discrete logic circuits. Neurotransmitter levels are linked to psychological constructs such as depression based on current literature. …

Better Teaching Means Better Learning: 45 Minutes, 100 Years Of Educational Psychology, And 4 Concepts You Can Apply Today, Cheryl Arndt

Department of Education

No abstract provided.

Modeling Melodic Dictation, David John Baker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Melodic dictation is a cognitively demanding process that requires students to hear a melody, then without any access to an external reference, transcribe the melody within a limited time frame. Despite its ubiquity in curricula within School of Music settings, exactly how an individual learns a melody is not well understood. This dissertation aims to fill the gap in the literature between aural skills practitioners and music psychologists in order to reach conclusions that can be applied systematically in pedagogical contexts. In order to do this, I synthesize literature from music theory, music psychology, and music education in order to …

Ground Deformation Studies And Evacuation Behavior During Eruptions At Guatemalan Volcanoes, Hans Lechner

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Volcanic eruptions can be an especially problematic hazard when considering the uncertainty in eruption timing and magnitude coupled with challenges associated with delivering warnings to remote areas and facilitating effective evacuations. The hazards presented by Guatemala’s active volcanoes demand enhanced monitoring capabilities and instrumentation infrastructure. Strengthening the link between the physical and social sciences should lead to more accurate, reliable, and timely hazard information to the people living in proximity to the volcano and facilitate rational decisions and actions that reduce their level of risk. While there is no one single technique that can provide unambiguous diagnostics about the timing, …

Using Classification Images To Understand Models Of Lightness Perception, Minjung Kim, Jason M. Gold, Richard F. Murray

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

Individual Difference Variables And Social Learning: An Investigation Into Expectancies, Philip Andrew Wiliamson

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Bandura (1969, 1985) proposed social learning theory (SLT) as a theoretical framework through which behaviors can be predicted. SLT offers an explanation to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are learned. Alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs) are defined as the physiological or psychological consequences that are anticipated following the consumption of alcohol (Goldman, Boca, & Darkes, 1999). Expectancies enhance or diminish a person’s willingness to engage in drinking behaviors. SLT and AOEs converge as children watch adults and the media either consume and glorify alcohol or conversely vilify alcohol and shun its consumption. This study investigated whether individual difference variables (i.e., suggestibility, prior …

Development Of A Synchronization Coefficient For Biosocial Interactions In Groups And Teams, Stephen J. Guastello, Anthony F. Peressini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Body movements, autonomic arousal, and electroencephalograms (EEGs) of group members are often coordinated or synchronized with those of other group members. Linear and nonlinear measures of synchronization have been developed for pairs of individuals, but little work has been done on measures of synchronization for groups. We define a new synchronization coefficient, S_E, for a group based on pairwise correlations in time series data and employing the notions of a group driver, who most drives the group’s responses, and empath, who is most driven by the group. S_E is developed here in the context of …

Teaching Joint Attention And Social Communication Using The Cool Versus Not Cool In A Large Group Setting, Christine Milne

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

This study evaluated the implementation of the cool versus not cool procedure to teach sixteen children all diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder how to initiate or respond to bids for joint attention and how to increase social communication to their peers. The cool versus not cool procedure consisted of the teacher modeling the targeted social behaviors both the cool (i.e., appropriate) and not cool (i.e., inappropriate) way, having the participants discriminate if the model was cool or not cool, having the participants state reasons why the model was cool or not cool, and having the participants role-play the targeted social …

The Influence Of Discrete Emotional States On Preferential Choice, Andrea M. Cataldo

Masters Theses

Past research has shown that emotion affects preferential choice outcomes. The goal of the present study was to further research on emotion and preferential choice by using mathematical modeling to investigate the effects of specific dimensions of emotion on the underlying mechanisms of preferential choice. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether the concurrent effects of positive-negative valence and situational certainty on attention and information accumulation threshold, respectively, would influence the magnitude of the similarity effect, a robust phenomenon in preferential choice. Participants first underwent either an Anger (negative and certain), Fear (negative and uncertain), or no (Control) emotion manipulation. All …

The Effects Of Virtual Coaching On Olympic Lift Performance, Julia M. Santos

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Coaching in many forms, the most prevalent being in vivo coaching, helps to improve the performance of athletes across sports and exercise. The most natural next step in coaching is coaching through technology as opposed to in person; also known as virtual coaching. The present study examined the relative utility of two forms of virtual coaching on improving Olympic lift performance; video modeling and video feedback. A multiple baseline design across participants was used where one group of participants received the video modeling intervention first, then video feedback, then both, while the second group received the video feedback intervention first, …

Panic That Spreads Sociobehavioral Contagion In Pedestrian Evacuations, Terra Elzie, Erika Frydenlund, Andrew J. Collins, R. Michael Robinson

VMASC Publications

Crowds are a part of everyday public life, from stadiums and arenas to school hallways. Occasionally, pushing within the crowd spontaneously escalates to crushing behavior, resulting in injuries and even death. The rarity and unpredictability of these incidents provides few options to collect data for research on the prediction and prevention of hazardous emergent behaviors in crowds. This study takes a close look at the way states of agitation, such as panic, can spread through crowds. Group composition—mainly family groups composed of members with differing mobility levels—plays an important role in the spread of agitation through the crowd, ultimately affecting …

Testing A Structural Equation Model Of Language-Based Cognitive Fitness, Elizabeth Ann Moxley-Paquette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The normative development of language is often taken for granted, yet problems with language development can result in stress for the individual and family. A challenge with these language development problems lies within the contemporary education system, which assumes that children have appropriate skills when they begin school. The purpose of the study was to test a theoretical model of language readiness known as language-based cognitive fitness, which includes measures associated with structural concepts of language involving receptive language, expressive language, spontaneous narrative speech, and writing fluency. The sample included children from a private school who received an extensive battery …

Training Practicum Students In Child-Directed Interaction: Efficacy Of Modeling Versus Bug-In-The-Ear Feedback, Sarah Elisabeth Vasquez

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Training direct-care paraprofessionals to work with children who have developmental disabilities has been a prevalent concern among researchers and practitioners. Although behavioral interventions are designed by professionals, they are generally implemented by paraprofessionals. Therefore, the accuracy of program implementation by paraprofessionals depends on the quality of the training provided. In the present study, two female undergraduate practicum students were recruited through a public four-year university in Virginia to obtain training in child-directed interaction (CDI). The purpose of CDI is to help build rapport between the adult and child by teaching the adult to provide positive attention to a child’s desirable …

Application Of Modeling And Simulation To Reduce Costs Of Acquisition Within Triple Constraints, Syed N. Mohammad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A key component of defense acquisition programs operating using the Integrated Defense Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Life Cycle Management System is the reliance on the triple constraints of cost, schedule, and performance. While the use of Modeling and Simulation tools and capabilities is prevalent and well established in the Research and Development, Analysis, and Training domains, acquisition programs have been reluctant to use Modeling and Simulation in any great depth due to inaccessibility of tools, Subject Matter Experts, and implications to cost and schedule. This presents a unique Simulation Management challenge which requires an in-depth understanding of the technical capabilities …

The Impact Of Video Self-Modeling On Conversational Skills With Adolescent Students With Severe Disabilities, Megan Elizabeth Sangster

Theses and Dissertations

Video self-modeling has been found to be effective in increasing appropriate behaviors, increasing task fluency, and decreasing inappropriate behaviors. During video self-modeling, a student is filmed completing a task and then mistakes, prompts, and negative behaviors are edited from the video. When the edited video is viewed by the subject student, the student views a perfect model of him or herself successfully completing the given task. Video self-modeling has been used predominately with participants with autism spectrum disorder. This study is a replication of a previous study in which the effectiveness of video self-modeling and video peer modeling was compared …

Predicting Anxiety From Parent And Childhood Variables, Brian Fisak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The high prevalence rate, significant distress and impairment, and persistence of childhood anxiety disorders highlight the need for continued theoretical conceptualization and research into the developmental pathways associated these disorders. In response to this need, one goal this project was to examination and identify variables associated with the development and/or maintenance of child anxiety disorders. A second goal of this project was to examine the potential role of learning from parents as a risk factor in the development of child anxiety, with a particular emphasis on three learning mechanisms: modeling, information transfer, and reinforcement of anxious behaviors. The third goal …

Empirical Modeling Of A Marijuana Expectancy Memory Network In Children As A Function Of Age And Marijuana Use, Jacqueline Alfonso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation modeled the expectancy memory organization and likely memory activation patterns of marijuana expectancies of children across age and marijuana use. The first phase of the study surveyed 142 children to obtain their first associate to marijuana use. From their responses, the Marijuana Expectancy Inventory for Children and Adolescents (MEICA) was developed. The second phase of the study administered the MEICA to a second sample of 392 children to model marijuana expectancy organization and probable memory activation paths of marijuana users versus never-users. Results indicated that irrespective of age, adolescents who have used marijuana tend to emphasize positive-negative …

The Effects Of Parental Modeling On The Health-Related Behaviors Of American Indian Adolescents: A Culturally Specific Investigation Of Social Learning Theory, Amy Jo Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Health-compromising behavior is a leading cause of death among American Indian (Al) adolescents. Examples of these behaviors include: smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and lack of seatbelt use. Theories that predict which Al youth are most at risk for executing these behaviors are needed.

Social learning theory (SL T) has shown adolescents' behaviors are sometimes highly correlated with their parents' behaviors across different ethnic groups. However, there has been little previous research done with Als.

The present study attempted to determine if SLT was applicable to Al adolescents and their parents with regard to four health-related behaviors: cigarette smoking, alcohol …

Probabilistic Principles In Unsupervised Learning Of Visual Structure: Human Data And A Model, Shimon Edelman, Benjamin P. Hiles, Hwajin Yang, Nathan Intrator

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

To find out how the representations of structured visual objects depend on the co-occurrence statistics of their constituents, we exposed subjects to a set of composite images with tight control exerted over (1) the conditional probabilities of the constituent fragments, and (2) the value of Barlow's criterion of "suspicious coincidence" (the ratio of joint probability to the product of marginals). We then compared the part verification response times for various probe/target combinations before and after the exposure. For composite probes, the speedup was much larger for targets that contained pairs of fragments perfectly predictive of each other, compared to those …

Causal Modeling Of Organizational Commitment, Karin E. Klenke-Hamel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research was designed to develop a model of organizational commitment by establishing a causal network among three individual characteristics--tenure, work motivation, and job satisfaction--two organizational/structural variables--decentralization and formalization,--and two job facets--the job characteristic model and job stress--as determinants of commitment.

The proposed model was tested on male and female samples represented by five occupational groups ranging from blue collar to professional workers. Successive iterations of a path analytic technique indicated that across the five occupational categories, job satisfaction was the single most important determinant of organizational commitment. However, if the facets of job satisfaction were examined more closely, important …

Urban-Rural Differences In Social Interest And Altruistic Behavior, P. N. Dixon, Richard A. Stevick

Psychology Educator Scholarship

Research on altruism has often focused on the effects of altruistic vs.selfish modeling on 5 altruism.' Hansson, Slade, and Slade found that urban Ss were more likely than were rural Ss to respond selfishly in the presence of a selfish model, and to act altruistically when presented with an altruistic model. The authors explain their results in terms of Milgram's urban-overload theory. In complex urban societies individuals behave on the basis of economy rather than more complicated considerations such as social interest. The present research is a partial replication of the Hansson et al.study with both behavioral and attitudinal measures …

The Effect Of Modeling On Cooperation In The Laboratory And In The Natural Environment, Janice V. Siegel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study a multiple-baseline design was used to determine the effectiveness of three different modeling sequences in increasing cooperative behavior in children in a laboratory situation. The research also assessed the short- and long-term effects of the laboratory procedures on children's behavior in a free-play setting.

Subjects were 9 pairs of preschool-aged children. In the laboratory situation pairs of subjects performed a block-stacking task which allowed them to respond either cooperatively or independently. Following baseline periods of varying lengths, the pairs of children were exposed to one of three videotapes of cooperative models. In Tape 1 adult models demonstrated …