Psychology Commons^™

Bullying And Sensitivity To Rejection: The Role Of Individual Difference Variables In Social Exclusion’S Impact On Eating Behaviors, Karen M. Ramos

Honors Projects

Social exclusion negatively impacts health behaviors such as eating, and new research suggests that individual difference variables can influence the strength of its effects. Two studies examined whether prior experience with bullying is an individual difference variable that could influence ostracism’s impact on food consumption. I hypothesized that people with a history of bullying would be more likely to eat unhealthy foods than healthy foods after experiencing social exclusion, and that this group would likely consume more food after experiencing social exclusion. Neither study found that prior experience with bullying impacted the strength of ostracism’s effect on food ...

The Relationship Between Victimization And Substance Use Among Homeless And Runaway Female Adolescents, Kimberly A. Tyler, Sarah Gervais, Meghan Davidson

Sociology Department, Faculty Publications

Each year, thousands of female adolescents run away from home due to sexual abuse yet they continue to be victims of sexual assault once on the street. To date, few studies have examined how various forms of victimization are related to different types of substance use. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between street exposure, childhood abuse, and different forms of street victimization with alcohol and marijuana use among 137 homeless and runaway female adolescents. Results from path analysis revealed that child sexual abuse was positively linked to trading sex and sexual and physical victimization. Additionally ...

Semantic Distance Modulates The N400 Event-Related Potential In Verbal Analogical Reasoning, Matthew J. Kmiecik, Robert G. Morrison

University Libraries Undergraduate Research Paper Award

Computational accounts have traditionally focused on mapping between structured representations as fundamental to analogical processing. However, a recent connectionist model has been used to argue that structured representations may not be necessary to solve verbal analogies. Green and colleagues (2010) have shown that brain areas associated with analogical mapping become more engaged as semantic distance increases between verbal analogy source and targets. Herein, we had participants verify verbal analogies characterized for semantic distance while we monitored their brain waves using EEG. Our results suggest that the semantic distance between the source and target of a verbal analogy does influence early ...

Predicting Sexual Satisfaction From Self-Objectification And Alcohol Consumption, Nicole M. Nelson

Psychology Theses

This study was conducted to examine if gender, self-objectification and alcohol consumption were predictors of sexual satisfaction. It was expected that females would self-objectify more than males and self-objectification would negatively relate to satisfaction. It was expected that drinking alcohol would also negatively relate to satisfaction. Undergraduate participants (n=235) who reported a heterosexual sexual encounter within the past three months completed an online survey. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted separately for males and females. It was found that gender was not a predictor of satisfaction; self-objectification did however negatively relate to sexual satisfaction for males and females, and ...

The Effectiveness Of Programs Tested In Juvenile Drug Courts, Ashley Tiedemann

Undergraduate Publications

The effectiveness of treatment programs used in juvenile drug courts within the United States is often questioned. The two research articles that will be discussed tested two different treatment programs in hopes that they would lead to more favorable outcomes than the programs currently in place.

Research into effective drug and alcohol treatment programs to be used within the juvenile justice system needs to be a priority. There are too many kids who get lost in the system, rather than helped. Both of these studies were conducted based on the same belief of how vital this research is. The “Enhancing ...

Secondary Victims' Perceptions Of Justice : Implications For Forensic Psychology, Benjamin Bannister

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

An emerging area of study has begun to look at the perceptions of justice of the family and friends of crime victims – or, secondary victims. It is important to improve understanding of secondary victims’ experiences of justice, partly because knowledge about how they perceive justice may help forensic psychologists assist them more effectively. This research attempted to assess how well existing justice theories could account for secondary victims’ perceptions of justice, and also help determine what is important to them. Using the largely ignored group of secondary victims of non-sexual violent crime, the research consisted of two interrelated stages. In ...

Predicting Proficiency On The Ohio Achievement Assessments Using I-Ready Diagnostic, Terra Ann Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Ohio’s schools are held accountable for ensuring that students become proficient in reading by the end of third grade. Curriculum-based measures are often utilized to help monitor student progress toward proficiency goals and pinpoint those students who are at risk for falling below state standards on standardized tests. Using data from third grade students in a rural county in southern Ohio, this research determines what score on the I-Ready Diagnostic must be obtained in order to achieve proficiency on the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) reading component. Data were compared and a Pearson Product Moment Correlation of 0.71 was ...

The Effects Of Gender And Implicit Theories On Science Achievement And Interest In Elementary-Aged Students, Savannah Benningfield

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study set out to determine the relationship between student grade
level, implicit views of science ability, science achievement and science interest.
Differences by grade level were also explored. The study also considered the differences in male and female implicit theories of science ability, science interest, and science achievement. Participants in the current study consisted of a total of 1910 students from six elementary schools from one south-central Kentucky district that participate in Project GEMS (Gifted Education in Math and Science). Data were analyzed by means of analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. Younger students evidenced lower scores on ...

Token Reinforcement And Resistance To Change, Eric A. Thrailkill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interventions based on a token economy effectively reduce problematic behavior. Yet, treatment gains deteriorate once an intervention is discontinued. It is important to better understand the persistence of behavior maintained by token reinforcement in simple experimental procedures. A Pavlovian association with primary reinforcement is said to endow neutral stimuli (e.g., coins, poker chips, lights, signs, stickers, etc.) with their own function to strengthen behavior as conditioned reinforcers. Behavioral momentum theory suggests that resistance to change under conditions of disruption is the appropriate measure of response strength. However, some animal studies have suggested that conditioned reinforcement may not affect resistance ...

Healthy Sexuality: Evaluating A Psychoeducational Group Promoting Knowledge, Communication, And Positive Experiences, Brenna M. Wernersbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the state of healthy sexuality among college students and the influence of a psychoeducational group on related constructs. Healthy sexuality is comprised of multiple constructs, including accurate knowledge, positive attitudes, risk reducing behaviors, open communication among partners, and self-efficacy for creating desired experiences and preventing unwanted experiences. Sexuality-related knowledge, attitudes and values, and behaviors were measured prior to and following the four-session intervention. Additionally, prior sexuality education at the familial and school-based levels was assessed and compared to the designed intervention. Fifty-six young adults participated in the groups, with topics covering sexual anatomy and response, communication ...

The Importance Of Employee Well-Being, William Tov, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Emotional Cues On Memory Recall And Response Time, Rachel Rahn

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

Combining electroencephalography, the recording of the brain's electrical activity, with other psychological research techniques allows the link between memory and emotion to be investigated. This study, which is currently in the pilot phase, investigates the effect of emotions on performance in a memory test. Subjects are shown written memory cues with or without accompanying photos of strong facially-expressed emotions and later prompted to recall the written cues. By monitoring brain activity and recall success rate, emotion's effect on memory in this context can be determined, including what brain regions are stimulated by the emotion-memory link and the improvement ...

Facilitating Positive Reactions To Psychological Labels, Stephanie Kuipers

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

Receiving a psychological label is often a life-changing experience. Some people feel relieved and hopeful upon discovering a name for their problem, while others become scared and depressed about the implications of receiving such a label (Proudfoot et al., 2009). This study attempts to identify factors that may affect whether a client has a positive or negative reaction to psychological labeling. Specifically, three factors were examined: use of language, client personality, and type of diagnosis. Each participant was randomly assigned to read one of four short narratives in which they imagined themselves in the depicted situation. All narratives portrayed someone ...

The Structure Of Addictions: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach Using Structural Equations Modeling, Gabrielle Krus, Victoria Labitan, Katherine Paul, Kelly Perfect, Diana Stribl, Liz Hostetler, Sarah Braun

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

Addiction is one of the most important mental health problems in contemporary society, but relatively little is known about how various kinds of addictive behaviors relate to each other. In this study, we take a complex structural model of addictions developed from Christian theological sources and our own previous research and test it against a large (N = 300) dataset of individuals who have rated their relationship to various objects of addiction. The analysis largely confirmed our theoretical model with some interesting modifications. We discuss implications of this research for addictions assessment and treatment.

Keep Calm And Carry On: An International Comparison Of Stress In Law Enforcement, Holly Buckman, Amanda Zelechoski

Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

This presentation will show the results of a comprehensive review of the literature and a cross-cultural comparison of law-enforcement related stress in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the formation of this comparison, we will obtain a better understanding of law enforcement exposure to stress and its effects. By comparing the stress experienced by law enforcement officers in these seemingly similar countries, we conceptualize the potential causes of these similarities and differences. More specifically, the organization/structure of law enforcement, support networks, community conditions, and the police subculture in these countries will be analyzed. This analysis will show ...

The Influence Of Children's Affective Ties On The Goal Clarification Step Of Social Information Processing, Amanda C. Thorn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous studies have shown that children’s social goals are influenced by
emotion and that emotions can be manipulated using relationships. The present study combines these previous findings by examining the effect of children’s relationships on social goals. Social goals were examined in second and fifth grade children using hypothetical ambiguous provocation situations in which the relationship between the participant and the provocateur was manipulated by inserting the name of a friend, enemy, or a neutral peer into the story. After each situation, children rated the importance of four different social goals, indicating which of the four would be ...

A College Study On Grief, Depression, And Anxiety, Briana Alexandre Paulo

Senior Honors Projects

Trauma and stress have been commonly studied with the occurrence of anxiety disorders. However, less research has been conducted on the relationship between the experience of loss, the centrality of the loss to a person’s identity and the experience and severity of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Current research has examined the relationship between a significant stressful event and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of anxiety and depression are experienced by people during various points in their life, although higher levels of these disorders may be exhibited after having experienced a loss or stressful life event.

Grief ...

Marriage Equality: Media Coverage And Public Opinion, Amanda Studley

Senior Honors Projects

The struggle for equality is nothing new in this country. Every minority group has faced it’s own hardships when trying to advocate for the advancement of their people. One of the most recent struggles has involved the LGBT community and their pursuit of equal marriage laws nationally. Currently the campaign for marriage equality has had success in nine states and the District of Columbia, each of which now grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. However, thirty states have enacted constitutional bans on same-sex marriage (NCLS 2013). Currently 49% of the population endorses full and equal marriage rights for same ...

What Are The Relations Among Stress Perception, Health Perception And Activity Participation In School-Aged Children?, Allison Caplin

Honors Theses

This correlational study examined possible relations among children’s activity patterns, perceived stress, and perceived health. A variety of self-report questionnaires were administered to a sample of 33 school age children. The Pediatric Activity Sort (PACS) was used to measure activity participation, a health questionnaire was used to assess health, and the Childhood Stress Questionnaire (CSQ) was used to measure perceived stress. Correlations showed no significant relationships between stress level and the amount of reported activity participation. The absence of significant relationships may be due to testing a sample of middle to upper class, Caucasian children, as there was a ...

Do You Know What I Know? Examining The Therapist's Internal Experience When A Patient Dissociates In Session, Jacqueline R. Strait

Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) Dissertations

There is rich theoretical literature that cites the importance of the therapist’s use of self as a way of knowing, especially in cases where a patient has been severely traumatized in early life. There is limited empirical research that explores the in-session experience of therapists working with traumatized patients in order to support these claims. This study employed a qualitative design to explore a therapist’s internal experience when a patient dissociates in session. The aim of this study was to further develop the theoretical construct of dissociative attunement to explain the way that therapist and patient engage in ...