Psychology Commons^™

Video Game Addiction And College Performance Among Males: Results Of A One Year Longitudinal Study, Michael Livingston, Zachary L. Schmitt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Video games are played by the vast majority of Americans between the ages of 2 and 17, with males showing higher usage rates (Lenhart et. al., 2008). Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that 9% of male gamers ages 8 to 18 are addicted to playing video games. Those addicted were significantly more likely to have a lower GPA, have greater difficulty paying attention in class, and were more likely to have been involved in a physical fight over the past year compared to non-addicted gamers (Gentile, 2009).

The majority of video game addiction research has focused on adolescent gamers. The …

Mindfulness And The College Transition: The Efficacy Of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention In Fostering Adjustment Among First-Year Students, Taylor R. Ramler

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Within recent years, there has been a marked proliferation in the interest in and relevant literature pertaining to the practice of mindfulness. This study sought to augment this knowledge base through an examination of the efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention in fostering adjustment among first-year college students. Fifty-six (N=56) first-year participants from two Midwestern liberal arts institutions partook in the study. Experimental participants (n=29) completed an eight-week MBSR intervention conducted by a qualified instructor. Control participants (n=27) did not receive mindfulness instruction. Adjustment indices were gathered using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), providing individual scores …

Why Are Scandinavians So Happy?, John Hasselberg

Forum Lectures

Perhaps somewhat surprising to many in central Minnesota, Scandinavian societies are ranked as having the happiest people in the world. Long-term longitudinal studies such as "Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective (1981-2007)" by Inglehart, Foa, Peterson and Welzel of the University of Leicester, and recent research reported by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in its "World Happiness Report 2013", edited by Helliwell, Layard & Sachs, consistently come to the conclusion that Scandinavians are the happiest people in the world. Why? How is this possible? What can we learn from them?

The Nature And Nurture Of Intuition, Thomas Q. Sibley

Forum Lectures

Are people just innately good at mathematics or not? My teaching experience suggests mathematical ability is not just fate: Students develop their mathematical abilities by doing mathematics. In particular we discuss geometric intuition, its connection with geometric reasoning and the possibility of developing them, using examples to get the listeners actively thinking about their own geometric thinking.

Cultivating Sacramentality Through Administrative Work: Guidance From St. Benedict On Being A Catholic Department Chair, Rodger Narloch

Psychology Faculty Publications

One dilemma encountered by department chairs and administrators at Catholic colleges and universities is how to respect the pluralistic religious views of the faculty while being faithful to one's own and the institution's Catholic tradition. The Rule of St. Benedict offers guidance that can result in deepening the respect for all individuals by welcoming all as Christ, adapting to the temperament of the individual, and listening with the ear of one's heart. Through these practices one may cultivate a sacramental vision of the world in oneself and within the academic culture of the department or institution, creating an environment in …

Are We More Racist Than We Think? Recognition Of Racism And Racial Microaggressions, Lydia Ricard

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Racism is discriminatory behavior rooted in history and fostered by institutional power. Current theory and research posits that different types of racism have developed over time, such as overt, implicit, symbolic, and aversive racism. The concept of racial microagressions has developed from these theories. Microaggressions are defined by Sue (2010) as subtle and commonplace environmental, verbal, and behavioral indignities that convey negative, hostile, or derogative slights toward people of color. This study examines the ability to recognize racism, as well as relationships between the ability to recognize racism and factors of White privilege awareness, attitudes toward diversity, and ability to …

Together Building Imagination, Tbi Re-Defined: The Effects Of Theater On People With A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Marcelline Gangl

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This study investigates the use of theater as a rehabilitation tool for people who have suffered a mild Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI). In this study, two middle aged women agreed to participate in theater workshops once-a-week for a 5 week period. The workshops focused on different areas of communication: eye contact, movement, spontaneity, creativity, diction, and volume of voice. Based on research done on how a TBI affects an individual, it was found that individuals who are living with a TBI say that they have a loss of socialization skills, a loss of social support and a feeling of being …

Birds Of A Feather: The Effect Of Negatively And Positively Valenced Similarities On Compliance, Hayley Van Gelder

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Previous research has shown that individuals have a tendency to prefer things and people related to themselves. I conducted a lab experiment to replicate previous findings in that individuals who believed they shared a similarity with someone would be more likely to comply with a request from that person, as well as show more feelings of liking towards that person. Additionally, the study sought to investigate if sharing a positively-valenced or negatively-valenced similarity with the requestor would affect the likelihood of individuals to comply with the request and the amount of liking felt towards the requestor. Although the manipulations of …

The Interaction Effects Of Aspects Of The Self On Mental Health In College Students, Elizabeth E. Peichel

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction effect of the personality traits of shyness and social support and identity style on the mental health issues of rumination, anxiety, and identity distress. I distributed surveys to a convenience sample of 188 college-age students at two single-sex, rural, Catholic schools. Although there were no three-way interaction effects of the variables as they relate to rumination, anxiety, and identity distress as hypothesized, there was a two-way interaction effect of shyness and social support of friends as they relate to rumination. Low shy individuals with high social support demonstrate lower rumination …

The Jury Process: Racial Bias, Extraversion, Leadership, & Sex, Amanda Nusbaum

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This study explored the interactions between individuals’ attitudes and group dynamics during the jury deliberation process. More specifically, whether implicit racial bias are correlated with pre-deliberation decision of innocence and which factors contribute to an individual’s tendency to take on a leadership role in a mock jury setting. 10 mock juries, consisting of groups of 4 White undergraduate students, participated in this experiment. Each participant completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a self-report survey to examine racial bias, a self-report personality survey to examine extraversion, and then participated in a mock jury deliberation. Results showed that implicit racial bias …

Using The World As A Stage To Benefit Refugees, Rose L. Gangl

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The present study looked at whether theatre could be used as a successful intervention for refugees living in the United States. Using Boal’s (1985) Theatre of the Oppressed model, Karen refugees from Laos and Thailand, now living in Minnesota completed a four day workshop. Before and after the theatre workshop the participants were tested on overall well-being (self-esteem and mood), creativity, and English language abilities. Significant improvements were found for overall well-being. In addition, the workshops were shown to have the greatest impact on those who had a lower English language ability to start. Overall, theatre appears to be a …