Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons^™

Development Of A School Boredom Proneness Scale For Children, Taylor Carrington

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

One common phrase heard from students is, “I’m bored.” However, there is no real understanding of what this actually means. In this study, elementary-age students were asked to respond to a newly developed School Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) including questions relating to a five-factor model of boredom. Students were also asked to rate how often they become bored at school and how bored they seem compared to classmates. In addition to student responses, parents and teachers were asked to rate how bored they thought the student was, and teachers were additionally asked to rate students’ level of work completion. The …

Using The Implicit Association Test To Investigate The Strength Of Synesthetic Associations, Margaret Martinez, Nicole Steiner, Simon Lacey, Lynne C. Nygaard, K. Sathian

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which experiences in one sensory or cognitive domain are associated with automatic, involuntary experiences in a second domain. The present study investigated the relationship between the consistency and strength of these associations in grapheme-color synesthesia, in which a specific color is experienced when seeing a particular letter or number. Firstly, synesthetic participants completed the online Synesthesia Battery (SB) which measures the consistency with which individuals choose the same color for the same grapheme and returns a standardized score which distinguishes genuine synesthetes from non-synesthetes. Secondly, synesthetes and age/gender-matched non-synesthetic control participants completed an Implicit Association …

Weight Status, Bullying Involvement, And Internalizing Symptomology In Adolescents: Examining A Diathesis-Stress Model, Ana Damme

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Bullying is a pervasive societal issue that is consistently linked to negative outcomes that are emotionally, socially, behaviorally, and medically related. Most youth will encounter this negative life event in their childhood. The purpose of this dissertation was to use a diathesis-stress model perspective to assess the relations between the negative life event of bullying involvement, youths’ mental health, and youth weight status. Youth who have an unhealthy weight status are more likely to be involved in bullying than those with a healthy weight status (Browne, 2012; Puhl). Additionally, bullying and having an unhealthy weight status are related internalizing symptomology …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Counseling Students In A Co-Facilitated Experiential Group, Alexandra Meyers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research in the fields of experiential learning, group psychotherapy, and neuroscience has supported the inclusion of the experiential group in counseling training programs due to the potential for positive impact on students’ personal and professional development (Badenoch & Cox, 2010; Denninger, 2010). Investigations exploring counseling students’ experiences of the experiential group have been primarily limited to quantitative studies, while in-depth qualitative inquiry has been minimal. Additionally, an extensive review of the literature has found there have been no qualitative studies examining experiential groups co-facilitated by a course instructor and a doctoral student. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to …

Mindfulness In Medicine: Modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Mbsr) Program Among Future Doctors, Virtue Sankoh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Medical trainees are at particular risk for stress-related illness, including mental health problems such as suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and mood disorders. A vast literature on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), consisting of mindfulness education and structured meditative practices, has consistently demonstrated that MBSR and related mindfulness-based interventions improve mental and physical health, as well as one’s overall sense of well-being. Moreover, theorists and researchers have begun to suggest further that mindfulness plays a particular role in social cognition, or social-emotional learning. Medical schools have long been interested in ways to improve the “soft skills” related to interpersonal connectedness that are …

Characterizing Range Anxiety In Electric Vehicle Users, Maiia Tolia-Shah, Brenda Gutierrez, Sook Mun (Alice) Wong, Uri Maoz

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Range Anxiety is the fear of running out of fuel for your car before arriving at a refueling point or final destination. While usually absent or low in gas-powered vehicles, this anxiety is a salient consideration when buying electric vehicles (EVs). This and the fact that there are fewer charging stations available compared to gas stations have been offered as hypotheses for why EV sales are low. Previous research has found that those with more experience driving EVs, felt less range anxiety as they can when and where to charge their vehicle in their daily lives. EVs are more environmentally …

Does It Matter Whether You Or Your Brain Did It? An Empirical Investigation Of The Influence Of The Double Subject Fallacy On Moral Responsibility Judgments, Uri Maoz, Kellienne R. Sita, Jeroen J. A. Van Boxtel, Liad Mudrik

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Despite progress in cognitive neuroscience, we are still far from understanding the relations between the brain and the conscious self. We previously suggested that some neuroscientific texts that attempt to clarify these relations may in fact make them more difficult to understand. Such texts—ranging from popular science to high-impact scientific publications—position the brain and the conscious self as two independent, interacting subjects, capable of possessing opposite psychological states. We termed such writing ‘Double Subject Fallacy’ (DSF). We further suggested that such DSF language, besides being conceptually confusing and reflecting dualistic intuitions, might affect people’s conceptions of moral responsibility, lessening the …

Vulnerability And Physical Well-Being Of Caregivers: What Relationship?, Salvatore Settineri, Fabio Frisone, Angela Alibrandi, Emanuele Maria Merlo

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Objectives. To assess relationships among burden, compassion, and well-being and health among an active group of caregivers.

Methods. 301 caregivers with female prevalence (F = 61.1%, M = 38.9%) and ages between 18 and 84 years old (average = 38.72; SD 13.36) participated. Evaluation was carried using standardized instruments to assess: Burdens (CBI), dimensions related to Compassion and Burnout (ProQOL-5), State of Well-being (Who-5) and particular health-related domains (Emotional state, Physical health, Depressive Polarity, Dysphoric Polarity-SF-36). Correlational analyses and multivariate linear regressions were performed.

Results. Positive correlations emerged between Burdens and Compassion Fatigue, Well-being and Satisfaction; inverse correlations emerged among …

The Effect Of Perceived Level Of Social Support On The Fear Of Falling, Kali A. Todd

Honors College Theses

Background: Perhaps the most prevalent cause of anxiety among the elderly is the fear of falling (FOF), considering that a fall can lead to serious complications and the decline of health. Kumar et al. found that subjects with a FOF usually have less social support. Therefore, increased social support could possibly decrease the FOF, thus decreasing the likelihood of a fall overall. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the amount of perceived social support one receives and the FOF among people ages 60 and up. Methods: In order to measure FOF and social support among …

Parameterizing And Validating Existing Algorithms For Identifying Out-Of-Bed Time Using Hip-Worn Accelerometer Data From Older Women, John Belletierre, Yiliang Zhang, Vincent Berardi, Kelsie M. Full, Jacqueline Kerr, Michael J. Lamonte, Kelly R. Evenson, Melbourne Hovell, Andrea Z. Lacroix, Chongzhi Di

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: To parameterize and validate two existing algorithms for identifying out-of-bed time using 24-hour hip-worn accelerometer data from older women. Approach: Overall, 628 women (80±6 years old) wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers 24 hours/day for up to 7 days and concurrently completed sleep-logs. Trained staff used a validated visual analysis protocol to measure in-bed periods on accelerometer tracings (criterion). The Tracy and McVeigh algorithms were adapted for optimal use in older adults. A training set of 314 women was used to choose two key thresholds by maximizing the sum of sensitivity and specificity for each algorithm and data (vertical axis, VA, …

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

Oxytocin Receptor Gene (Oxtr) And Father Support Interact To Predict Depressive Symptoms Postpartum, Parambir Bhatti, Taylor Delaney, Michael Poulin, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 13% of mothers after birth. Both genetic and psychosocial factors contribute to PPD risk, but very little is known about how these factors interact. We tested whether the rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene accounts for variation in the impact of low social support as a risk factor for depression among mothers during the perinatal period. New mothers (N = 220) provided saliva or blood DNA samples and completed surveys assessing PPD symptoms and perceived social support. In a significant interaction, social support from the …

Meeting Point: Partner Dancing As Couple's Therapy, Rami Eckhaus

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This dissertation research explored the experience of partner dancing as a therapeutic process that reflects upon the dynamics and interactions of couples who are in the process of couple's therapy. The research also aimed to gain insight on the ways in which the experience of partner dancing can support these couples' therapeutic processes. Partner dancing is a dance-form that is based on the interaction between two individuals. Such interaction requires the dancing couples to communicate on many levels that may uncover layers of their relational dynamics. In this research, five couples who were undergoing couple's therapy were asked to participate …

Systematic Literature Review Of Quetiapine For The Treatment Of Psychosis In Patients With Parkinsonism, Jack J. Chen, Henry Hua, Lilian Massihi, Ivan Portillo, Azita Alipour, William Ondo, Khashayar Dashtipour

Library Articles and Research

Objective:

The purpose of this article was to determine the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine compared with placebo or other interventions for psychosis in parkinsonism.

Methods:

Participants with a diagnosis of parkinsonism participated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine for psychotic symptoms within a defined follow-up period. The authors conducted searches on PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, and EMBASE for articles published from January 1991 to October 2017. Study methodology and patient- and treatment-level data were independently extracted and summarized by using descriptive statistics. Studies underwent quality assessment for risk of bias.

Results: …

Evaluating Commonalities Between Different Medically Unexplained Symptoms, Dan Guo, Maria Kleinstäuber, Malcolm Henry Johnson, Frederick Sundram

Psychology Faculty Publications

This commentary presents commonalities in medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) across multiple organ systems, including symptoms, aetiological mechanisms, comorbidity with mental health disorders, symptom burden and impact on quality of life. Further, treatment outcomes and barriers in the clinician–patient relationship, and cross-cultural experiences are highlighted. This discussion is necessary in aiding an improved understanding and management of MUS due to the interconnectedness underlying MUS presentations across the spectrum of medical specialties.

An Investigation Of Stimulants: Reviewing Their Effects On The Brain, Including Memory And Microglia, Michael Douchey

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Stimulants are a class of drugs that have a variety of effects on the brain, including changes in receptor activity in the brain areas responsible for- memory, attention, emotion, motor control, and the reward pathway. Stimulants may be generally classified by their availability. For example, prescription stimulants, which include drugs such as methylphenidate (Concerta™, Ritalin™) and mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall™), must be prescribed by medical professionals. Another regulated stimulant, albeit one available without a prescription, is nicotine; a highly addictive chemical that is age-restricted by the U.S. federal government. Nicotine is found in tobacco products, and in tobacco-free alternatives including …

Relation Of Depression Symptoms To Sustained Reward And Loss Sensitivity, Michael P. Berry, Ema Tanovic, Jutta Joormann, Charles A. Sanislow

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The Influence Of Unpredictable, Fragmented Parental Signals On The Developing Brain, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Mental illnesses originate early in life, governed by environmental and genetic factors. Because parents are a dominant source of signals to the developing child, parental signals - beginning with maternal signals in utero - are primary contributors to children’s mental health. Existing literature on maternal signals has focused almost exclusively on their quality and valence (e.g. maternal depression, sensitivity). Here we identify a novel dimension of maternal signals: their patterns and especially their predictability/unpredictability, as an important determinant of children’s neurodevelopment. We find that unpredictable maternal mood and behavior presage risk for child and adolescent psychopathology. In experimental models, fragmented/unpredictable …

Cancer Blog Narratives: The Experience Of Under-Fifty Women With Breast Cancer During Different Times After Diagnosis, Maria Luisa Martino, Anna Gargiulo, Daniela Lemmo, Giorgia Margherita

The Qualitative Report

The recent literature shows an increase of breast cancer in women under 50, however still few are the studies which analyse the impact of the disease in this specific target age. This study aims at exploring the most prevalent topics in Italian cancer blogs of women who have received a breast cancer diagnosis before the age of 50, in order to understand their experience of illness and the characteristics of women’s narrations at different times after diagnosis (1 year, 2 years, 3 years). We collected the textual corpus of 4 Italian breast cancer blogs and performed a thematic analysis. Five …

An Exploratory Study Of Police Officers: Low Compassion Satisfaction And Compassion Fatigue, Heath Blair Grant, Cathryn F. Lavery, John Decarlo

Publications and Research

Background: Compassion fatigue, or the physical, mental, and emotional state experienced by professionals that assist others in distress, has been well documented in several caring professions such as nurses, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. Until the current study, it has only rarely been examined in police samples despite their high rates of stress and suicide which is a likely result of a depletion of compassion satisfaction, or the pleasure an officer gets from relating to and helping others.

Aim: This study documents findings from an ongoing study of compassion fatigue amongst a sample of US urban police officers which suggests …