Psychology Commons^™

Contributions Of Appetitive And Aversive Motivational Systems To Decision-Making, Heather E. Soder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Optimal decision-making entails outcome evaluation, comparing received costs and benefits with predicted costs and benefits. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain area with major connections to the appetitive and aversive motivation systems, may provide the neural substrate of this evaluation process. One way to measure the relative contribution of these systems on decision-making is to measure individual differences in risk-taking behaviors. For individuals who make risky choices, this evaluation step may be biased: some show a preference for immediate, short-term rewards (increased appetitive system), while devaluing the long-term consequences of their choices (decreased aversive system). However, most studies supporting …

Episodic Work-Family Conflict And Strain: A Dynamic Perspective, Kimberly A. French

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given rising work and family demands in our society for both men and women, the experience of work-family conflict is commonplace. Work-family conflict occurs when the demands of work or family make it difficult to meet the demands of the alternate domain. A sizeable body of research has established work-family conflict and its nomological network. Despite decades of research, we have yet to form a precise understanding of when work-family conflicts occur and what happens when a conflict arises. The current research addresses these questions using an experience sampling, episodic approach. Two primary research questions are addressed. First, I used …

Psychopathic Traits, Gender, And Sexual Motivations: Paths To Sexual Coercion, Amy M. Hoffmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although evidence suggests that both men and women perpetrate sexual coercion, the majority of work has traditionally focused on men as perpetrators and women as victims. Psy-chological factors, including psychopathic traits and sexual motivations, have been proposed to characterize sexually coercive men. However, the sparse existing research using female samples suggests that these models may not adequately characterize female sexual coercers. In particular, although there is evidence that sexual motivations may mediate the relationship between psycho-pathic traits and coercion perpetration, there is a dearth of information regarding gender as a po-tential moderator of these mediating paths. To improve our understanding …

Capturing Resilience In Context: Development And Validation Of A Situational Judgment Test Of Resilience, Yuejia Teng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study developed a 40-item situational judgment test (SJT) to measure resilience in context. Undergraduate samples were used in the study and situational stems of the SJT consisted of both daily stressors and major life crises; each response alternative was designed to reflect one of five resilience-related factors. A crowd-sourcing method was utilized to create scoring keys for the SJT. The Resilience SJT demonstrated good psychometric properties, and showed evidence of construct and criterion-related validity. The SJT scores moderately correlated with scores from two resilience Likert scales, a hardiness scale as well as a negative affect scale. Compared to …

The Impact Of Traumatic Event Exposure In The Emergency Medical Services: A Weekly Diary Study, Stephanie A. Andel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals are consistently exposed to a variety of traumatic events on the job, such as cases that involve the death or injury of a patient, being physically threatened, or encountering a mass casualty incident. Not surprisingly, research has found that such traumatic exposure has major implications, as it has been related to a plethora of negative strain outcomes such as posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and burnout. However, at this point, research has not empirically examined the mechanisms by which these traumatic events lead to strain. Therefore, this study aims to further investigate these mechanisms by incorporating …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Compensatory Eating And Behaviors In Response To Alcohol Consumption Scale (Cebracs), Emily M. Choquette

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drunkorexia refers to a set of disordered eating behaviors that occur in the context of a drinking episode for the purpose of 1) off setting caloric intake of the alcohol or 2) increasing the effects of alcohol. The Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale (CEBRACS) was developed with the purpose of measuring drunkorexia behaviors at three time points: before, during, and after a drinking episode. The purpose of this study was to further validate the measure for use in men and women by examining measurement invariance, reliability, and validity. First, single group confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) …

Depression And Choice Of Emotional Stimuli, Sunkyung Yoon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research argued that people with major depressive disorder (MDD) tend to prefer sad stimuli because they want to upregulate their sad feelings. This paper aims to examine investigate the choice of emotional stimuli among those who have MDD, compared to individuals without MDD (healthy controls, HC), and explore the reasons for their choice. Seventy six female university students (38 per group) completed three tasks: 1) In the replication music task, participants listened to happy, neutral, and sad music excerpts, chose the one they wanted to listen most, and reported the reasons of their choice. 2) The Emotional Stimuli Selection …

The Relationship Between Chronic Health Conditions And Health Literacy, Resiliency And Support/Self-Advocacy In Youth, Mercedes N. Cambric

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several decades the number of youth living with a chronic health condition has drastically increased. A chronic health condition can be defined as an illness that lasts three months or more that can be controlled but not cured (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010). Although there is existing literature on youth with chronic health conditions, there are very few studies that examine the levels of health literacy, resiliency and support/advocacy within this population. The current study is a secondary analysis that utilized data collected from the 37-item Youth Health Literacy and Resiliency Scale (HLRS-Y version) …

Learning To Think Slower: Review Of Thinking, Fast And Slow By Daniel Kahneman (2011), Samuel L. Tunstall, Patrick N. Beymer

Numeracy

Daniel Kahneman. Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux) 499 pp. ISBN 978-0374275631.

As an expansive review of Kahneman and others' work over the past half-century in understanding human decision-making, Thinking, Fast and Slow provides Numeracy readers much to consider for both pedagogy and research. In this review, we outline Kahneman's core argument—that humans use both rash (emotional) System 1 thinking and slow (logical) System 2 thinking—then discuss how such systems might be addressed in a quantitative literacy classroom.

Think Twice: Review Of Thinking, Fast And Slow By Daniel Kahneman (2011), Anne Kelly

Numeracy

Daniel Kahneman. Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux) 499 pp. ISBN 978-0374275631.

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman significantly sharpens our understanding of human decision-making and the systems of thinking that underlie it. He offers a compelling critique of the rational-agent model, arguing that, while we can and do use reason, we often fall back on a type of thinking that operates quickly and requires less cognitive effort but is vulnerable to faulty belief.

Measuring Numeracy In A Community College Context: Assessing The Reliability Of The Subjective Numeracy Scale, Kate S. Wolfe, Sarah L. Hoiland

Numeracy

In this paper, our goals were to assess the suitability of the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), developed for health-care use, in a new context with predominantly minority students at a South Bronx community college and to identify any race/ ethnicity, gender, and ESL enrollment effects. The scale assesses perceptions of quantitative reasoning skills and preferences for data presentation. This scale was given to a convenience sample of students in behavioral sciences classes. Results show that the SNS scale was reliable with our sample using the full thirteen-question scale or the shorter eight-item version. Gender, race/ ethnicity, and English as a …

The Structure Of Resilience: An Empirical Examination Of Resilience Factors, Matthew R. Grossman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although most researchers agree that resilience is defined as the extent to which an individual bounces back and recovers from stress and adversity, the field has not yet settled on the underlying structure of the resilience construct; its lower-order factors remain in dispute and undefined. In this study, five of the most prominent resilience measures (i.e., Ego Resilience, Block & Kremen, 1996; The Resilience Scale, Wagnild & Young, 1993; The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Connor & Davidson, 2003; The Resilience Scale for Adults, Friborg, Hjemdal, Rosenvinge, & Martinussen, 2003; The Brief Resilience Scale, Smith, Dalen, Wiggins, & Tooley, 2008) were administered …

Psychosocial Mechanisms Of Outcome In Pediatric Psychiatry, Alessandro S. De Nadai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half of all youths experience a mental health disorder at some point during childhood (Merikangas et al., 2010). Pediatric psychopathology is associated with a substantial amount of impairment in the school, social, and home domains, and such symptoms can have adverse impacts on subsequent development (Beauchaine & Hinshaw, 2013; Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007). Fortunately, a number of medications have demonstrated efficacy in treating a number of mental health conditions (Martin, Scahill, & Kratochvil, 2010). Despite these demonstrated effects, treatment response is often incomplete, and the mechanisms by which pharmacotherapy lead to behavior change are not well understood. …

Traumatic Brain Injury In Adolescence: The Relationship Between High School Exiting And Future Productivity, Jeffrey S. Garofano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability among children and adolescents. Brain injury survivors are often left with persistent impairments that have the potential to impede daily functioning, delay or prevent the attainment of developmental milestones, and subsequently limit future productivity in adulthood. A shared goal of both neurorehabilitation and the educational system is to prepare youth for a productive adulthood with both systems of care having substantial, yet independent, literature bases regarding factors associated with productivity (e.g., engagement in employment or post-secondary education). It is currently assumed that because type of high school exiting …

Evaluating An Existing Training Design In A New Context: All-Inclusive Multicultural Diversity Program, Fred Macoukji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The extent to which diversity has positive or negative effects on an organization can be attributed to the way in which diversity is managed (most commonly through diversity training). More often than not, organizations fail to validate training, therefore the current study adapted a training that successfully changed manager attitudes in a different context and implemented a perspective taking approach using language that was all-inclusive in order to determine if it was better at changing diversity relevant attitudes and behaviors than standard diversity training models. The results indicate that the training was effective in improving diversity relevant attitudes. Additionally, the …

Development And Validation Of The Distress Tolerance Questionnaire (Dtq), Elizabeth C. Rojas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distress tolerance (DT) is the perceived ability to withstand psychological stress, and has been studied for its relationship to psychopathology, personality features, mood states, and behaviors. Previous work suggests that the two existing modalities of DT measurement (behavioral and self-report) are tapping conceptually and empirically different constructs. The current developed a novel, self-report measure of DT that conceptually mapped onto behavioral DT in two samples: community participants (N = 982) and undergraduates (N = 282). Two separate factors emerged, non-goal oriented distress intolerance (DI), and goal-oriented distress tolerance (DT). Fit indices were acceptable in the community sample, but poor in …

A Motivational Interviewing Intervention To Increase Utilization Of Smoking Cessation Services Among Veterans Undergoing Substance Use Treatment, Nicole S. Menzie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smoking remains the single most preventable cause of death worldwide and primary cause of several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness (USDHHS, 2014). Although the prevalence of smoking among the general population continues to decline, the prevalence of smoking among the veteran population remains high. In addition, the prevalence of smoking among veterans with substance and alcohol use disorders is 2 to 3 times higher than in the general population. Over the years, the VA has implemented empirically-based treatments for smoking cessation to address the cigarette smoking epidemic. These services, however, are greatly underutilized. Motivational interviewing (MI) has …

Health Literacy, Depression, Anxiety, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As Predictors Of Biological Markers Of Immune Functioning In Youth And Young Adults With Hiv, Courtney A. Lynn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that affects the body’s immune system (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2016a). HIV is a worldwide epidemic and disproportionately impacts youth in the United States. Youth living with HIV (YLWH) face significant mental health problems, namely depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with rates of these disorders discrepant from those in the general population. In addition to psychological difficulties, health literacy is another factor that influences individuals with HIV and is a priority of research with adolescents (Kalichman et al., 2000; Manganello, 2008). The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Update 2020 (White House Office …

The Development And Validation Of The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-3 (Pacs-3), Lauren M. Schaefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Both theory and research implicate appearance comparison processes in the development of body image disturbance and disordered eating. Although several measures of appearance comparison exist, each has significant limitations. The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (PACS-R) and its earlier versions are measures designed to assess the frequency of appearance comparisons among men and women. In the current study, the PACS-R was revised to (a) examine comparisons of weight/shape, muscularity, and overall physical appearance, (b) include items to assess comparisons with distal targets, (c) provide an assessment of upward versus downward comparisons, and (d) provide an assessment of the acute emotional impact …

The Effect Of Androstenone As A Mating Prime On Drinking And Approach Behavior, Robin Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research has shown that sexual activity may be influenced by variables suggested by evolutionary theory, such as pheromonal cues. A recent study in our laboratory indicated that female pheromones influence men’s drinking and approach behavior based on hidden pathways of behavioral influence caused by chemosensory signals. The current study sought to examine whether a link exists between male pheromones and women’s drinking and approach behavior, through the use of a possible male sex pheromone called androstenone, and sought to examine this link within the context of a women’s ovulation cycle. One hundred and three female participants were primed with …

Emotional Memory For Affective Words In Manifest And Prodromal Huntington’S Disease, Patricia Lynn Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease (HD) patients have been found to have specific deficits in emotional processing, most consistently demonstrating impairment recognizing the emotion expressed on a static face. The purpose of this study was to examine emotional memory in HD, which has not yet been investigated, and its relationship with executive functioning, emotional facial recognition, and the disease progression in HD. An emotional memory task with pleasant, neural, and unpleasant words was administered to control (n=26), prodromal HD (n=26), and manifest HD (n=29) participants in addition to executive function measures, an apathy scale, and emotional facial recognition task. Free recall was not …

Age Of Alcohol Initiation And Reward Processes In A Current Alcohol Drinking Sample, Claire M. Gorey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Earlier ages of alcohol initiation have been associated with an increased vulnerability for Alcohol Use Disorder and general risk taking behaviors beyond genetic influence. Reward processes, including reward anticipation (pleasure before receiving alcohol/general reward), reward learning (how quickly one pairs a stimulus with alcohol/general reward), and reward consummation (pleasure when receiving alcohol/general reward), have been implicated as potential mechanisms accounting for this vulnerability. However, no careful bio-behavioral research has been conducted on the effect of age of alcohol initiation on general and alcohol-related reward processes. Using Event Related Potentials (ERPs), the current study addressed this gap in a sample of …

Associations Between Ethnic Identity, Academic Efficacy, Achievement Goals And School Belonging Among Early Adolescents, Leah Bonilla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States is experiencing a major shift in the population as more students who are considered ethnic minorities enter the school system. These students are at an increased risk for school failure due to language barriers, challenges with experiencing potential discrimination, and debating their identities across two cultural contexts. Although students who are considered ethnic minorities risk many potential stressors, the literature has shown that ethnic identity is a factor that facilitates positive academic adjustment and engagement among this population. Previous literature has also documented mixed findings regarding the relationship between ethnic identity and school outcomes. The current study …

Parent Perceptions Of Treatment Effectiveness And Attendance Rates In A Behavioral Parent Training Program: Do They Predict Treatment Outcomes For Children?, Natalie A. Hofmann Leedy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young children who display disruptive behaviors are at risk for negative outcomes in later development such as school dropout, early pregnancy, and unemployment (Bradshaw, Schaeffer, Petras, & Ialongo, 2010). For this reason, it is imperative parents of children with disruptive behaviors seek early intervention to reduce problem behaviors and prevent negative effects (Breitenstein, Hill, & Gross, 2009). Parent behavioral training interventions are effective for reducing problem behaviors in young children. Attrition from parent training interventions, however, is a common problem that reduces positive outcomes for children with challenging behaviors (Kazdin, Holland, & Crowley, 1997; Prinz & Miller, 1994). Barriers to …

Psychopathic Traits And Substance Use In The Context Of Erotic Services And Sex Exchange Among College Students, Bethany Edwards

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With increasing education expenses and characterization of our culture as “sexualized”, scholars have begun to explore student engagement in erotic services, but most research has been done outside the United States. This study tested personality correlates, prevalence and type of erotic service involvement in men and women college students in the United States. Specifically, the present study examined gender differences and whether substance use and psychopathic traits exhibit unique and/or interactive associations with both provision and consumption of erotic services among students. A total of 820 undergraduate students (54.3% women) took part in a study on personality and sexual behavior, …

Effects Of An Early Life Immune Challenge On Body Growth, Personality, Mating Behaviors, And Brain Development Of Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata), Ahmet Kerim Uysal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The developmental stress hypothesis predicts that an aversive condition, such as decreased food intake, predation, and social isolation, in the early developmental stage could have long term effects on behaviors and brain development of an animal. In nature, bird nestlings are susceptible to various factors, such as malnutrition, infections, and parasites. Effects of early life stress on adulthood have been extensively studied with some stressors including malnutrition. However, immune challenges as an early life stressor and their long-term programming effects on adult behaviors are yet to be studied in detail. The goal of the current study was to investigate changes …

Can We Talk?: Synergistic Effects Of Cognitive And Behavioral Frameworks To Address Substance Use And Abuse, Lauren Jaye Adams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral economic accounts of substance use have provided a novel framework to examine constraints that affect behaviorally driven outcomes. Several behavioral studies support the application of such frameworks to examine impulsive decision-making processes as well as how subjective reward influences substance use. Based on stimulus-response models, behavioral economic research often applies mathematical formulas to draw conclusions about behavioral outcomes. These mathematical formulas, while useful, largely ignore decades of cognitive psychology research that have examined state-based influences (e.g., mood, environment, motivational processes, etc.) on behavioral sequelae. To address this issue, the present study merged a cognitive framework into two behavioral economic …

Modifiable Characteristics Associated With Fear Of Cancer Recurrence Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Julie M. Cessna Palas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is regarded as one of the most common and distressing issues affecting cancer survivors. Observational studies have identified several modifiable characteristics associated with FCR. However, many of the findings are based on post-hoc analyses and come from studies in which FCR was not identified as a primary outcome. This study sought to overcome these limitations by using a model comprised of cognitive, behavioral, and social characteristics as a framework for examining modifiable characteristics associated with FCR. A sample of 120 patients who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and completed cancer treatment in the past …

Nonresident Paternal Factors And The Psychosocial Adjustment Of Black Adolescents From Single-Mother Households, Erica Elizabeth Coates

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of nonresidential, Black fathers in the psychosocial adjustment of Black adolescents from single-mother households. Participants included 107 noncohabiting Black parental dyads with children between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Participants completed measures of positive parenting, parent-child relationship quality, depressive symptoms, coparenting relationship quality, and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral functioning. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions found that father factors contributed unique variance to adolescent outcomes when using father-reported and combined father- and mother-reported adolescent functioning. Coparenting relationship quality mediated the relationship between father-child relationship quality and adolescent behavioral problems when using mother-reported and combined …

The Relationships Among Emotion, Cognitive Dysfunction And Anosognosia In Huntington’S Disease, Danielle C. Hergert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic, neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. Anosognosia, or lack of awareness of symptoms, is commonly observed in neurodegenerative disorders, including HD. Most theories suggest that emotion, executive functioning, and memory play important roles in self-awareness. There is limited research of anosognosia in HD and no theoretical model of how it manifests in the disease. The purpose of this study was to examine Metacognitive Knowledge, or overall beliefs about the self, and Online Awareness, or the ability to predict (Anticipatory Awareness) and evaluate (Emergent Awareness) task performance, in …