Psychology Commons^™

Adaptive Memory: Richness Of Encoding As A Possible Underlying Mechanism Of The Threat Effect, Anthony Hall

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, a growing body of research suggests that the human memory system has adapted to recall information that would have been vital to our ancestors’ survival. One area of importance is animacy, where animate objects are better remembered than inanimate ones. From the study of animacy a new area of interest came about; perceived threat of stimuli. It was suggested that some of the stimuli used in previous research could be perceived as more threatening than others which could be a potential confound. This research lead to a potentially new phenomenon, the threat effect, which suggests that threatening …

Emotion Regulation And Coping As Mediators Of The Association Between Perfectionism And Self-Esteem In Athletes Compared To Non-Athletes And Honors Students, Hollie Minichiello

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased levels of perfectionism have been shown to be associated with increased levels of burnout, feelings of depression, heightened levels of anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and hindered overall performance. The current study aimed to investigate whether coping mechanisms and emotion regulation mediate the association between perfectionism and self-esteem in athletes compared to non-athletes and honors students. Four hundred ninety-three primarily white (n = 60.0 %), female (n = 83.0 %), psychology major, participants aged 18-49, completed a series of questionnaires including: the Self-Esteem Implicit Association Test (Greenwald et al., 2002), the Self-liking and Self-Competence Scale (Tafarodi & Swann Jr, …

In Sickness And In Health: Interactions Between Romantic Dyads, Power, And Health, Madisen Taylor Reasonover

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study applied the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Cook & Kenny, 2005) to assess influence in romantic dyads regarding health attitudes and behaviors (exercise, eating), and the moderating effects of gendered power. Associations between dyad similarity scores on health attitudes, health behaviors, and gendered relationship quality was also explored. Forty-five heterosexual romantic couples who were exclusively dating (72% White/Caucasian; age M = 22.3 years; relationship length M = 28.7 months) completed several questionnaires including: the Relationship Power Inventory – Overall (Farrell et al., 2015), the Perceived Relationship Quality Components Inventory (Fletcher et al., 2000), a modified Exercise Identity Scale (Anderson …

The Knights Of The Round Table: The Mediating Role Of Parental Self-Efficacy And Parental Stress In Explaining Family Mealtime Predicting Child Behavior In Mturk Families, Dea Zgjani

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how shared family meals influence low negative behavior in children via parental perceived stress and parental self-efficacy in children between the age three and six. Using a parallel mediation analysis, multiple regression analyses were conducted for 204 participants. Results indicated parental perceived stress to be a mediator in the relationship of the structure of shared family mealtimes and negative child affectivity, in contrast parental self-efficacy was not. Additionally, interesting results were conveyed from exploratory Hypothesis 1. First, there were a total of 94 mothers and 102 fathers who completed the study. Significant correlations were depicted between …

Inside The Zoo: Captive Giraffes’ Changes In Social Ties Throughout Membership Variations, Morgan Paige Howard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many animals live in gregarious, fission-fusion societies where group size and composition are continually changing. Despite this, many studies have suggested that captive animals are capable of maintaining long term social bonds with others. In captive giraffes, effects on their social bonds during membership transitions have not been studied thoroughly, however, prior research does show that social bonds are a defining factor in non-captive animals. Captive giraffe social network patterns were investigated at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens using all occurrence behavioral data. Based on previous research, I hypothesized that when one of the individuals in the group was …

Investigating Body Dissatisfaction, Obesity, & Eating Pathology: African American Adolescent Girls & Mothers, Samantha Ronderos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is a globally prevalent issue among adolescents, particularly for those living in industrialized societies (Griffith et al., 2017). Body dissatisfaction is considered a central component of obesity intervention (Huh et at., 2011; Mitola et al., 2007) and eating disorder etiology (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). It predominantly effects females and is commonly found among those with eating disorders and those who struggle with obesity or have higher BMI (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). However this is contradicted in African American females, the majority of research has found low levels of body dissatisfaction, …

How To Improve Dynamic Decision Making: Evaluation Of A Brief Training Program On Human Error, Yoannis Hermida

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current work environments require leaders to make effective and sound decisions in unpredictable situations. How can leaders improve their dynamic decision-making (DDM) skills? The current studies explored the effects of a training program on improving DDM in two computer-simulated tasks with different task characteristics. This study was comprised of two experiments. The first experiment included 83 undergraduate students who independently managed a computer simulated chocolate factory (ChocoFine). The second experiment included 111 students who played the role of a fire rescue chief overseeing a forest fire (WinFire). Half of the participants in each simulation group received a brief training on …

Parental Influences On Children’S Decisions Making, Karinna Anne Rodriguez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is currently not enough research that focuses on parental influences on children’s development of decision making in early childhood. During early childhood children are primarily situated in the family context and are likely learning about decision making through their interactions with parents. Previous research has suggested children begin to develop complex decisions-making skills in early childhood. Complex decision-making includes the ability to consider the future and social benefits for the self and others. Future-oriented decisions requires the difficult task of deliberating between sacrificing an instant reward for a larger reward in the future, while social-oriented decisions require the consideration …

Examining Trauma, Aggression, And Anxiety In African American Girls, Katelyne Griffin-Todd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of trauma through bully victimization, rates of aggression, and anxiety in African Americans (AA) and other minorities, as well as the influence that their weight has on these items is severely understudied. This study had four aims: 1) Evaluate the relationship of anxiety, victimization, and aggression in early adolescent AA females, 2) Observe whether the individuals who are victimized also report being aggressive in early adolescent AA females, 3) Investigate the relationship between weight, victimization, anxiety and aggression, 4) Test mediation effects of poverty ratio, and moderation of poverty level and caregivers education. This study contains 77 AA …

Internalized Stigmatization And Rejection Sensitivity As Mediators Of The Link Between Self-Monitoring And Transgender Identity Concealment, Sara Carlton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon of identity concealment is not well understood for transgender individuals. Additionally, individual differences in identity concealment have not been widely discussed. In the present study, we explored the potential mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and internalized stigmatization between self-monitoring and identity concealment by transgender individuals. Self-monitoring can be conceptualized as either a univariate (dichotomous) variable or bivariate (continuous) variable with two dimensions: protective and acquisitive. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk system, we recruited 140 transgender individuals to complete measures of self-monitoring, rejection sensitivity, internalized stigmatization, and identity concealment across five audiences. Mediation was assessed using Hayes’ PROCESS model. Univariate …

The Influence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Disclosure On Peer Social Distancing In Higher Education, Hope Marie Sparks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are almost twenty percent less likely than their non-autistic peers to graduate college (White et al., 2017). The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, can be a significant facet of personal identity for many individuals on the spectrum. Due to this, disclosure of diagnoses can be a deeply personal decision and can be situational. Because college-age students on the spectrum are forming an identity concerning their diagnosis (Bent et al, 2016; Cox et al., 2017), peer social distancing behaviors are an important factor in student confidence and academic success. Researchers completed this study …

For Better Or For Worse? Cross Sectional Comparison Of University Student Stress, Coping, And Somatic Complaints Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Cline

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on university student stress, coping, and somatic health through exploratory analyses as cross sectionally compared to university student samples collected prior to and during the pandemic. 483 emerging adult participants were collected total, 262 surveyed via Health Psychology and Physiology courses prior to the pandemic and 221 were surveyed via UNF’s SONA system. Consenting participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale -14 (PSS-14), Ways of Coping Scale, and Physical Symptoms Checklist Questionnaire. Referencing literature based on student stress, coping, and somatic health as outcomes of non-normative events, it was predicted that pandemic …

Doing Kink Vs. Being Kinky: A Systematic Scoping Review Of The Literature On Bdsm Behavior, Orientation, And Identity, Angel Renee Kalafatis-Russell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This systematic scoping review examines the literature on BDSM/kink as it relates to three core dimensions of sexuality: behavior, orientation, and identity. The main sexuality framework used for defining these dimensions is Sexual Configurations Theory (van Anders, 2015). This search is guided by two research questions. 1) Are there empirical differences between individuals who simply consider BDSM to be something they do (i.e., behavior only) and individuals who consider BDSM to be part of who they are (i.e., kink-identified)? 2) Are there any existing, psychometrically validated, quantitative measures to assess BDSM as an identity component? I hypothesized that a model …

Race Logic: Measuring Stereotyped Mental Representations Of Football Player Positions, Jillian Fisher

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This preregistered research sought to capture the mental images associated with the quarterback and wide receiver positions to understand race logic prevalent in the NFL using the two phase, reverse correlation image classification paradigm. Participants in phase one were randomly assigned to the quarterback or wide receiver group and responded to 300 forced choice side by side images, indicating which image appears most like the target position. From these responses, four images were created based on position (quarterback or wide receiver) and participant exposure to football related media content (high or low). These images were used as stimuli in phase …

Do You Copy? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Auditory Processing, And Heart Rate Variability, Lyndsey Johnson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self -report measures used in PTSD research have the potential to limit the degree of symptom severity in military veterans, especially as there is often underreporting in this population (Kline, Falca-Dodson, Susner et al., 2010). Polyvagal Theory provides a framework assessing if physiological measures can tap into PTSD Symptomology (Porges, 1995). It is therefore hypothesized that lower scores on auditory processing tests will be positively correlated with higher scores on Stress and PTSD measures. Additionally, it is thought that lower scores on auditory processing tedts as well as higher scores on PTSD and Stress Measures will be positively correlated with …

Opposite Sex Friendship Initiation: Dispositional Differences In Self-Monitoring, Abigail P. Masterson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Based on the self-monitoring and friendship literature (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010) it was predicted that compared to low self-monitors, high self-monitors have an unrestricted orientation to sexual liaisons and view friendships as activity-based. These two tendencies suggest high self-monitors are more likely than low self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for sexual purposes whereas low self-monitors are more likely than high self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for companionship purposes. To evaluate this prediction, 133 male and 135 female heterosexuals completed the 25 item Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974), the Reasons for Friendship Initiation Scale (Bleske-Rechek & Buss, 2001), and the …

An Investigation Of The Moderating Effects Of Household Composition And Developmental Age On Food Insecurity Impacting Mental Health, Monique Villamor, Monique V. Villamor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how developmental stages of adulthood (emerging, middle, and late) and household composition (living with or without children) influence the experiences of food insecurity in regard to food-related protective strategies and mental health consequences. Using a moderated moderation analysis, the impact of age conditional on the effects of household composition aimed to quantify how food-related protective strategies predicted levels of food insecurity thus leading to anxiety and depression. Results indicated developmental stages and household composition are non-significant moderators across three models. However, middle-adult participants demonstrated increased susceptibility to severe food insecurity, further contributing to literature on midlife …

Disentangling The Role Of Self-Esteem On Eating Disorders In African American Youth, Carly Alexandria Wagner

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self- esteem (SE) has been identified to have a significant impact on eating disorders (ED). Although previous studies have found a relationship between SE and EDs, further investigation in needed because SE and EDs affect gender, age, weight status, and ethnicity heterogeneously. In particular, there is limited research and inconsistent findings on the impact of SE on EDs in youth, males, and African Americans (AAs). This study had six aims: 1) Observe gender and age differences in SE, 2) Examine the impact of weight status on SE, 3) Observe gender and age effects on EDs, 4) Examine the impact of …

Exploring The Relationship Between Diversity Training And Counselor Competence In Working With Cisgender Men Wearing Makeup, Brandi Velasquez Nash

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concepts of gender and sexuality within counselor diversity training continue to expand and change over time; therefore, it is essential that mental health professionals are knowledgeable of the challenges faced by gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals, specifically cisgender men who wear makeup. This includes being aware of the biases and stigmas that GNC individuals face and understanding how those barriers affect their mental health.

Elements that are applicable to this population include: (a) the historical significance and implications of cisgender men who wear makeup, (b) social media platforms where cisgender men showcase their makeup skills, (c) cultural experiences of GNC …

Development And Validation Of A Mindful Food Parenting Instrument To Assess The Relationship Between Parent Food Practices And Children’S Dietary Outcomes, Su-Nui Escobar

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

American children’s diets are commonly recorded as deficient in nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Such diets often exceed amounts of unhealthy items such as added sugars and sweetened beverages. In addition, 23% of children are considered overweight or obese. Mindfulness techniques in parents have been correlated with improved dietary outcomes in children and a healthier family eating environment.

The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that reflects the theoretical framework drawn from current models of mindful eating, mindful parenting and mindful food parenting. The instrument is a practical tool …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of The Cognitive And Mental Health Repercussions Of Childhood Adversity In Adulthood, Sara Grace Comella

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of individuals in the United States experience at least one type of traumatic during childhood (“Understanding Child Trauma”, 2017). Individuals with childhood adversity have an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse during adulthood (Rehan et al., 2017). However, the consequences of early adversity are not limited to mental health and extend to areas of cognitive functioning (e.g., working memory). The present research study addresses the long-term consequences of childhood adversity on psychological and cognitive functioning. Data collection took place online from February 2019 - April 2019 in Iceland and the United States. The survey assessed outcomes …

Associations Of Protective And Acquisitive Self-Monitoring With Consumer Attitudes And Behaviors, Alexis Nicole Lovaas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acquisitive self-monitors are motivated by gaining social standing (getting ahead, standing out), whereas protective self-monitors are driven by avoiding social disapproval (getting along, blending in; Wolfe et al., 1986). Extending prior research on these orientations and their associations with consumer attitudes and behaviors, participants in Studies 1a (MTurk; N = 156) and 1b (undergraduates; N = 143) completed the Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974) and various consumer scales. In these two studies, regression results revealed support for the hypotheses that protective self-monitoring was related to communal consumerism, socially-conscious consumerism, frugality, and conspicuous consumption, whereas agentic consumerism and self-interested values were related …

On Fire Or Burned-Out?: The Role Of Self-Monitoring On Burnout In The Workplace, Elizabeth Marie Ellis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Workplace burnout (i.e., exhaustion, disengagement, lack of professional efficacy) produces turnover which, in turn, increases costs (personnel recruitment, selection, training) for businesses (Maslach et al., 2001). Job demands predict workplace exhaustion whereas job resources predict workplace cynicism (Demerouti et al., 2001). Burnout is also related to individual differences in personality (Alessandri et al., 2018). In the present study, we explore the potential mediating effect of demands and resources on the connection between self-monitoring (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010; Wilmot et al., 2015) and burnout. Self-monitoring can be conceptualized as either a single, dichotomous variable (Snyder, 1974) or two, continuous variables: protective …

Military Veteran Students Transition To Academic Life With Ptsd, Trauma, And Potential For Freezing Response., Alicia Marie Erchul

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study is the first known research to investigate the association of the freezing response with PTSD and traumatic stress in the military veteran student population. Current understanding of the freezing response are primarily based in comparative psychology, with some studies extending to human participants (Azevedo et al., 2005; Facchinetti et al., 2006; Hagenaars et al., 2012; Volchan et al., 2017). Models generally agree that the freezing response consists of reduced body sway with decreased heart rate (Porges, 2003, 2007; Hagenaars et al., 2014).

Thirty-eight military veteran students (n=38; 18 female; 20 male) with ages ranged from 19 to …

Depressive Rumination And The Mood-As-Input Hypothesis: The Role Of Reverse Catastrophizing, Enrique Cibrian

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mood-as-input hypothesis (MAIH) has been consistently examined in relation to worry, but few studies have examined its role in depressive rumination. Fewer studies have examined congruency effects, such that conditions of mood and perseverative task are congruent (i.e., negative mood and negative preservative task vs. positive mood and positive perseverative task). The current study thus examines the MAIH’s applicability to depressive rumination, includes further investigation on mood congruency, and incorporates a newly constructed positive rumination task to further assess the impact of the valency of a ruminative task. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions based …

An Examination Of Social Connectedness On Ptsd And Freezing In A Student Military Population, Jessica Marie Ledwith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of social connectedness (SC) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a military college population, and their relation to physiological measures such as body sway, heart rate (HR), and heat rate variability (HRV). According to previous research, people with PTSD are more likely to exhibit a freezing response to affective images. In the present study, we explore the potential freezing response for military personnel at the levels of PTSD symptom groups and social connectedness. We also investigate the possible buffering effect social connectedness has on the outcome of PTSD and freezing. There was a total of …

The Effects Of Behavioral Skills Training To Teach Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder How To Respond To Bullying, Carissa Lyn Kazee

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature on bullying among school-aged children is widespread, with more than half of children on the autism spectrum having reported experiencing some form of bullying in the last year. For this reason, the primary goal of this study was to introduce a two-week long intervention to teach six middle-school aged children with autism how to recognize and appropriately respond to bullying. The intervention used behavioral skills training that is complimentary to Bandura’s social learning theory. Six middle school-aged participants, one girl and five boys, were taught to recognize bullying situations using comic strip vignettes, and how to respond to …

Fight, Flight, Or Freezing? Investigating The Immobility Response In Military Veterans, Paige Elizabeth King

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When the body is faced with threat to life or limb, the autonomic nervous system works to overcome the danger – by either fight, flight, or freezing. While immobility may not appear to be the most logical solution, theories exist that it allows for judgement of the situation and preparation for action. This study investigated the stress response that military veterans, with or without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), demonstrate when shown unpleasant images. Researchers wanted to determine the extent to which veterans would show freezing or immobile responses when under an unpleasant image condition. It was hypothesized that veterans who …

“The Power Of Love": The Role Of Sexual Communal Motivations And Relationship Power In Sexual Risk Taking, Robert Vincent Phillips

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

College-age students are an at-risk population for an unplanned pregnancy. Current sexual health interventions focus on methods of preventing pregnancy but fail to address communal motivations (being oriented towards the needs of others) which are important in relationships. Current interventions are long and require an increased attention span which is less effective today because the current generation of adolescents has a decreased attention span. The present study develops a WISE sexual health intervention (a simple yet targeted intervention) that incorporates sexual communal motivations to reduce unplanned pregnancy in college-age students. It was hypothesized that participants will have increased condom use …

Remember To Color: How Coloring Impacts Elderly Mental Health And Working Memory, Griselda Alaves

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the study of gerontology, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has received much attention as it is the progressive stage before Alzheimer’s disease (AD). According to lifespan studies, people with MCI advance to AD at a much-accelerated pace than people without MCI. In this study, I am investigating whether art activities (coloring versus drawing) has any influence on the elderly’s levels of stress and anxiety. More specifically, current research in art therapy points to a significant reduction in participant’s stress and anxiety levels after being involved in coloring and drawing activities. In addition to mental health, I am also investigating how …