Psychology Commons^™

The "It" Factor, Ann Gallagher

Leadership Hour at Otterbein University

Gaining the Competitive Edge by Boosting Your Executive Presence

Have you ever known a leader or top executive who has got “it?” Well “it” is executive presence, and having “it” is the difference between moving up the ladder to leadership and being stuck on the middle rung. So have you got “it?”

Trust In People And Trust In Technology: Expanding Interpersonal Trust To Technology-Mediated Interactions, Evgeniya Evgenieva Pavlova Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Trust is necessary for human interactions. It provides the ability to participate in risky behaviors without engaging in a laborious risk-benefit analysis about the situation at hand. The introduction of information and communication technologies has brought about new ways of communicating (e.g., text messaging, video conferencing). Despite the benefits stemming from the ability to communicate through technology, the lower quality and quantity of communication cues exchanged during a technology-mediated interaction can hamper the development of trust.

This study examined the relationship between interpersonal trust and trust in technology during a technology-mediated dyadic interaction and aimed to determine whether interpersonal trust …

Fear Of Negative Evaluation, Social Anxiety And Response To Positive And Negative Online Social Cues, Chandra L. Bautista, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

High social anxiety is associated with negative interpretations of social feedback, maladaptive attributions for success and failure, and excessive attention to internal and external threat cues. In the present study, 40 undergraduate participants with either high or low levels of social anxiety engaged in a series of social interactions with varying types of social feedback: negative, mixed-negative, mixed-positive, and positive. Given the increasing engagement in computer-mediated communication among individuals with high levels of social anxiety, these interactions took place via instant messaging software. Compared to participants with low social anxiety, participants with high social anxiety experienced more self-focused thoughts, negative …

Orangutan Pantomime: Elaborating The Message, Anne Russon, Kristin Andrews

Kristin Andrews, PhD

We present an exploratory study of forest-living orangutan pantomiming, i.e. gesturing in which they act out their meaning, focusing on its occurrence, communicative functions, and complexities. Studies show that captive great apes may elaborate messages if communication fails, and isolated reports suggest that great apes occasionally pantomime. We predicted forest-living orangutans would pantomime spontaneously to communicate, especially to elaborate after communication failures. Mining existing databases on free-ranging rehabilitant orangutans’ behaviour identified 18 salient pantomimes. These pantomimes most often functioned as elaborations of failed requests, but also as deceptions and declaratives. Complexities identified include multimodality, re-enactments of past events and several …

Mixed-Species Flock Members’ Reactions To Novel And Predator Stimuli, Sheri Ann Browning

Doctoral Dissertations

Novel stimuli are ubiquitous. Few studies have examined mixed-species group reactions to novelty, although the complex social relationships that exist can affect species’ behavior. Additionally, studies rarely consider possible changes in communication. However, for social species, changes in communication, including rates, latencies, or note-types within a call, could potentially be correlated with behavioral traits. As such, this research aimed to address whether vocal behavior is correlated with mixed-species’ reactions to novel objects. I first tested the effect of various novel stimuli on the foraging and calling behavior of Carolina chickadees, Poecile carolinensis, and tufted titmice, Baeolophus bicolor. Chickadees …

Pantomime In Great Apes: Evidence And Implications, Ann E. Russon, Kristin Andrews

Kristin Andrews, PhD

We recently demonstrated, by mining observational data, that forest-living orangutans can communicate using gestures that qualify as Pantomime. Pantomimes, like other iconic gestures, physically resemble their referents. More elaborately, pantomimes involve enacting their referents. Holding thumb and finger together at the lips and blowing between them to mean balloon is one example. Here we sketch evidence of pantomime in other great apes, methodological concerns, and sophisticated cognitive capabilities that great ape pantomimes suggest.

The Psychometric Properties Of The Professionalism Assessment Rating Scale, Jennifer K. Olivetti

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The issue of professionalism in the training of medical students has become a major focus within the field of medical education. For years, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has measured the quality of osteopathic medical students (DO students) interpersonal and communication skills through SP (SP) encounters in which SPs rate the DO students relative to eight criteria (items) which, in aggregate, are known as the Professionalism Assessment Rating Scale (PARS). These criteria are linked in the literature to patient outcomes, patient adherence, patient satisfaction, and malpractice. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the PARS, based on data …

Women And Thyroid Disease: Treatment Experiences And The Doctor-Patient Relationship, Laura J. Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thyroid disease, a chronic illness, affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and is more common among women than in men. Numerous factors make diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in women challenging. The standard blood test for diagnosing thyroid disease and determining treatment effectiveness is inconsistent in its accuracy. Many women with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or struggle with symptoms even once receiving treatment. Although thyroid disease is highly prevalent among women and the doctor-patient relationship is known to influence treatment outcomes, there is a gap in the literature regarding the treatment experiences of women with thyroid disease and the doctor-patient …

Let's Talk About Sex: Sexual Health And Communication In Romantic Partners Based On Attachment Style, Elizabeth Grace Davis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Though research has explored the domain of attachment style in regards to romantic relationships and sexual behavior, little has been done to connect the two areas of study. Studies indicate that an individual's attachment style can influence their level of sexual intimacy (Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Feeney & Noller, 1990; Bogaert & Sadava, 2002; Gentzler & Kerns, 2004; Birnbaum et aI., 2006) as well as their sexual health behaviors (Gentzler & Kerns, 2004; Davis et aI., 2006; Butzer & Campbell, 2008). However, the current literature has not examined these findings in light of other variables that influence sexual satisfaction, sexual …

Can You Please Put Your Phone Away? Examining How The Fomo Phenomenon And Mobile Phone Addiction Affect Human Relationships, Laila A. Chaudhry

Undergraduate Research Posters

This study attempts to identify how attachment to social media as well as attachment to other forms of communication technology can lead to addiction to mobile devices and affect non-virtual interpersonal communication. I examined the phenomenon known as the fear of missing out, or FOMO, which can be defined as apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. Experiencing FOMO can lead to overuse of and even addiction to social media, another category I examined, because addicted individuals want to stay more up-to-date with social networks and social media is the most efficient way to …

Physician Role In Enhancing Patient Communication, Tamanna Sahni

Undergraduate Research Posters

Communication in the in-patient environment is crucial, and the relationship between a patient and physician enhances patient health and wellness. Patients should feel confident with their abilities to feel comfortable conversing with physicians, which would thus treat symptoms more effectively. This communication has decreased over time, hence patients are often are unable to obtain medical information from their healthcare providers. What is the relationship between psychological factors, such as self-esteem, and quality of patient-physician communication? And can physicians ensure increased patient comfort in the medical environment?

Various factors can affect the patients’ comfort with their physicians, and when addressed, these …

Leaving Home: Investigating Transitioning Challenges Faced By Boarding Students And Their Families, Kate Margaret Hadwen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Transitioning to boarding school during the middle years of childhood impacts upon the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of young people (Bramston & Patrick, 2007; Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991; Earls & Carlson, 2001). Students who live at school as boarders, may experience greater transitional changes in all three components of wellbeing due to the extent of change experienced during this transition. While research addressing transitioning to school has indicated the importance of connectedness to school, bonding, friendships and a sense of autonomy (Eccles et al., 1993), there is limited research addressing the transitioning experiences …

Worlds Of Connection: A Hermeneutic Formulation Of The Interdisciplinary Relational Model Of Care, Susana Lauraine Mccune

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Despite a general agreement across health care disciplines that Advanced Care Planning (ACP) and Advanced Directives (ADs) add important elements to a patient's end-of-life care desires, and can inform their loved ones and advocates, help create ease of mind, and enhance quality of care, they continue to remain significantly underused. More than half of Americans transition to chronic and terminal illness without having completed them. The aim of this study was to increase the frequency and enhance the quality of communication about Advance Directives and Advance Care Planning within the clinical relationship. The resulting Interdisciplinary Relational Model of Care (IRMOC) …

Child-Centered Play Therapy For Children With Autism: A Case Study, Ashley H. Morgenthal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation evaluated archival data from the implementation of a child-centered approach to play therapy with a young girl diagnosed with autism. Goals of treatment included promoting spontaneous symbolic play and increasing verbal communication skills. Young children with autism who engage in early intervention often receive behavioral interventions, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), on a regular basis. However, the use of child-centered play therapy as an intervention is not as common, as play is frequently viewed as being a deficiency for children with autism. In psychological theory, play is often regarded as a child’s work, and his or her …

Politicized Climate Change Communication: An Integrative Complexity Analysis, Meredith A. Repke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The vast majority of scientists agree that anthropogenic activities have caused the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere to rise at an unprecedented rate, and that the consequences of such a rise may very well be extreme. Despite these warnings, the American people do not possess, on average, the same level of concern towards climate change as scientists. The polarization of media in recent decades, the prevalence of selective exposure, and the general position on climate change of the two major political parties have led to liberals and conservatives consuming different information relevant to climate science. While evidence exists …