Other Psychology Commons^™

Approaches Mainline Protestant Pastors Use To Work With Lgb People And Their Families: Implications For Family Therapists, Christi R. Mcgeorge, Katelyn O. Coburn

Faculty Publications, Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies

When a loved one comes out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), families often seek the assistance of a trusted professional. For many families that involves seeking the consultation of a religious leader. This queer theory informed qualitative study sought to explore how Christian pastors work with LGB individuals and their families. Additionally, this study explored how pastors’ approaches to working with LGB individuals and their families varied based on the degree to which families were accepting or rejecting of their LGB family members. Twenty-one mainline Protestant Christian pastors were interviewed. Thematic analysis identified three themes and a number of …

Early Life Exposure To Unpredictable Parental Sensory Signals Shapes Cognitive Development Across Three Species, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Kari Mccormack, Hina Arora, Desiree Sharpe, Annabel K. Short, Jocelyne Bachevalier, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman, Hal S. Stern, Mar Sanchez, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Exposure to early life adversity has long term consequences on cognitive function. Most research has focused on understanding components of early life adversities that contribute to later risk, including poverty, trauma, maltreatment, and neglect. Whereas these factors, in the aggregate, explain a significant proportion of emotional and cognitive problems, there are serious gaps in our ability to identify potential mechanisms by which early life adversities might promote vulnerability or resilience. Here we discuss early life exposure to unpredictable signals from the caretaker as an understudied type of adversity that is amenable to prevention and intervention. We employ a translational approach …

The Good Soldier: A Look Into The Stigma And Stereotypes Of The Us Military, Riley Margaret Bachmann

Senior Theses

“The Good Soldier: A Look at the Stigma and Stereotypes of the US Military” examines the stigma associated with mental health as well as gender stereotypes and bias in the United States military. It uses my personal experience in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program as well as research to show the institutionalization of stigma and stereotypes. The purpose of this thesis is to spread awareness and question why this stigma exists. I will find correlations between mental health and stereotypes and their overlap as a service member in the military. My personal memoir coupled with research on …

Physical Activity, Sitting Time, And Feelings Of Energy And Fatigue During The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Does Grit Make A Difference?, Andreas Stamatis, Jessica Adams, Joel Martin, Matthew L. Smith, Italia Milani, Shane V. Caswell, Nelson Cortes, Ali Boolani

Health Behavior Research

Grit has been associated with feelings of energy when measured as the opposite end of fatigue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, grit has been linked to positive health-related behaviors, which are known to influence feelings of energy and fatigue. The objective of this study was to identify the association between grit, time spent sitting, physical activity (PA), and feelings of mental and physical energy (ME, PE) and fatigue (MF, PF) during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Participants (n = 859) completed surveys once. Using a series of multivariate regression models, we assessed the association …

Predictors Of Enhancing Human Physical Attractiveness: Data From 93 Countries, Marta Kowal, Piotr Sorokowski, Katarzyna Pisanski, Jaroslava V. Valentova, Marco A.C. Varella, David A. Frederick, Laith Al-Shawaf, Felipe E. García, Isabella Giammusso, Biljana Gjoneska, Luca Kozma, Tobias Otterbring, Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Gerit Pfuhl, Sabrina Stöckli, Anna Studzinska, Ezgi Toplu-Demirtaş, Anna K. Touloumakos, Bence E. Bakos, Carlota Batres, Solenne Bonneterre, Johanna Czamanski-Cohen, Jovi C. Dacanay, Eliane Deschrijver, Maryanne L. Fisher, Caterina Grano, Dmitry Grigoryev, Pavol Kačmár, Mikhail V. Kozlov, Efisio Manunta, Karlijn Massar, Joseph P. Mcfall, Moises Mebarak, Maria Rosa Miccoli, Taciano L. Milfont, Pavol Prokop, Toivo Aavik, Patrícia Arriaga, Roberto Baiocco, Jiří Čeněk, Hakan Çetinkaya, Izzet Duyar, Farida Guemaz, Tatsunori Ishii, Julia A. Kamburidis, Hareesol Khun-Inkeeree, Linda H. Lidborg, Hagar Manor, Ravit Nussinson, Mohd Sofian B. Omar-Fauzee, Farid Pazhoohi, Koen Ponnet, Anabela Caetano Santos, Oksana Senyk, Ognen Spasovski, Mona Vintila, Austin H. Wang, Gyesook Yoo, Oulmann Zerhouni, Rizwana Amin, Sibele Aquino, Merve Boğa, Mahmoud Boussena, Ali R. Can, Seda Can, Rita Castro, Antonio Chirumbolo, Ogeday Çoker, Clément Cornec, Seda Dural, Stephanie J. Eder, Nasim Ghahraman Moharrampour, Simone Grassini, Evgeniya Hristova, Gözde Ikizer, Nicolas Kervyn, Mehmet Koyuncu, Yoshihiko Kunisato, Samuel Lins, Tetyana Mandzyk, Silvia Mari, Alan D.A. Mattiassi, Aybegum Memisoglu-Sanli, Mara Morelli, Felipe C. Novaes, Miriam Parise, Irena Pavela Banai, Mariia Perun, Nejc Plohl, Fatima Zahra Sahli, Dušana Šakan, Sanja Smojver-Azic, Çağlar Solak, Sinem Söylemez, Asako Toyama, Anna Wlodarczyk, Yuki Yamada, Beatriz Abad-Villaverde, Reza Afhami, Grace Akello, Nael H. Alami, Leyla Alma, Marios Argyrides, Derya Atamtürk, Nana Burduli, Sayra Cardona, João Carneiro, Andrea Castañeda, Izabela Chałatkiewicz, Wiliam J. Chopik, Dimitri Chubinidze, Daniel Conroy-Beam, Jorge Contreras-Garduño, Diana Ribeiro Da Silva, Yahya B. Don, Silvia Donato, Dmitrii Dubrov, Michaela Duračková, Sanjana Dutt, Samuel O. Ebimgbo, Ignacio Estevan, Edgardo Etchezahar, Peter Fedor, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Tomasz Frackowiak, Katarzyna Galasinska, Łukasz Gargula, Benjamin Gelbart, Talia Gomez Yepes, Brahim Hamdaoui, Ivana Hromatko, Salome N. Itibi, Luna Jaforte, Steve M.J. Janssen, Marija Jovic, Kevin S. Kertechian, Farah Khan, Aleksander Kobylarek, Maida Koso-Drljevic, Anna Krasnodębska, Valerija Križanić, Miguel Landa-Blanco, Alvaro Mailhos, Tiago Marot, Tamara Martinac Dorcic, Martha Martinez-Banfi, Mat Rahimi Yusof, Marlon Mayorga-Lascano, Vita Mikuličiūtė, Katarina Mišetić

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using …

Neuroanatomy In Mild Cognitive Impairment: Relationship To Functional Skills, Treatment Expectancy, And Comorbid Depression, Sara Rushia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a neurocognitive disorder defined by cognitive decline in older adults. Although MCI has been studied for decades, there remain important areas to be explored in order to adequately characterize aspects of this disorder that provide information valuable for possible interventions and disease progression to dementia, including a better understanding of the neuroanatomical variables relevant to this disorder. Such neuroanatomical variables include cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). This dissertation consists of three separate studies aimed at addressing gaps in the literature on MCI in relation to brain morphometrics and under-studied characteristics involved …

Transformative, Noetic, And Transpersonal Experiences During Personal Development Workshops, Helané Wahbeh, Cassandra Vieten, Garret Young, Agnes Cartry-Jacobsen, Dean Radin, Arnaud Delorme

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

The global personal development market was valued at $38.28 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow an additional 5% from 2020 to 2027. Many of these workshops promise to be transformational. This secondary analysis study examined transformative, transpersonal, and noetic aspects of personal development workshops. We found that 74% of post-survey records endorsed that participants experienced a moment of clarity or profound insight during their workshop. In addition, 66% endorsed that participants had experienced at least one noetic experience, and 84% endorsed at least one transpersonal experience. These analyses provide preliminary evidence for the transformational potential of personal development …

Using Motor Imagery As An Alternative To Exercise For Improvement Of Mental Health: A Qualitative Investigation, Madelyn Colbert

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Exercise is a commonly used non-pharmacological treatment to improve the mental and physical health of patients with varying conditions. However, not all patients have the means to participate in exercise and/or physical exertion. Motor imagery training (MIT) is visualizing a task without motor output. Evidence has demonstrated MIT to enhance physical function with and without adjacent physical practice. A qualitative research study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of utilizing MIT as a depression and anxiety reducing alternative to exercise. Seven participants meeting the selection criteria were randomized into (a) the exercise group, or (b) the MIT group. The three …

Emotional Resilience Emerges As Novel Aspect Of Meta-Mood Experience: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Accounting For Data Censoring, Fitsum A. Ayele, Orei Z. Odents, Kimberly A. Barchard

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Meta-mood experience refers to the thoughts and feelings that serve to monitor, evaluate, and at times change mood. The Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) was designed to gauge meta-mood experience along three factors: Attention, Clarity, and Repair. Previous factor analyses have verified this three-factor structure. However, one study by Palmer and colleagues found strong support for a four-factor structure. In light of this discrepancy, the present study aimed to replicate Palmer and colleagues’ study in a new sample, comparing the models they used to determine which is best-fitting. We also aimed to correct the effect of data point censoring when estimating …

Macrodosing To Microdosing With Psychedelics: Clinical, Social, And Cultural Perspectives, Ayse Ceren Kaypak, Amir Raz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

To date, the clinical and scientific literature has best documented the effects of classical psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), in typical quantities most often associated with macrodosing. More recently, however, microdosing with psychedelics has emerged as a social trend and nascent therapeutic intervention. This variation in psychedelic practice refers to repeat, intermittent ingestion of less-than-macrodose amounts that do not cause the effects associated with full-blown “trips”. Microdosing paves the road to incorporating psychedelic drugs into a daily routine while maintaining, or even improving, cognitive and mental function. Unlike macrodosing with psychedelics, the influence of …

Gbsv Resource Guide And Review For The University Of Western Ontario And Surrounding Area, Alyssa J. Madhani

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

During the 2021-2022 academic year, gender-based violence and sexual assault became a major topic of discussion due to a number of troubling incidents throughout the year. One of the largest calls to action by the student body was for more resources and trainings. This paper compiles the resources and trainings that can be found on campus of the University of Western Ontario and in the surrounding areas into a cohesive list of major relevant sources. The goal of this paper is to amplify the many different programs already in place that can be added to the training cohorts or made …

A Psychological Profile Of The Digitized Economy: Who Buys Cryptocurrencies, Nfts, And Meme-Stocks (And Why)?, Nicole Wolfe

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

As the global digital economy continues to grow in interest and financial worth, it is imperative to harvest data to gain early information on this nuanced economy. Already, we have witnessed billions of dollars in losses and wins at the blink of an eye, encouragement to invest from well-known celebrities and politicians, and high anxiety from the newness, power consumption, and potential outcomes of this nuanced system. Stemming from the lack of solid evidence in this emerging field, we hope to gain more insight on the early players and variation within the digitized economy. Similarly, we hope to identify specific …

Psychedelics, Positive Psychology, And Positive Humanities, Hamide Eygoren

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

Public and scientific interest in the effect of psychedelic drugs on wellbeing has risen significantly. Preliminary data show that psychedelic drugs, specifically classic psychedelics (DMT, psilocybin, mescaline, and LSD), may have the potential to treat mood disorders and increase wellbeing through their acute subjective effects. The acute subjective effects and enduring effects of psychedelics on wellbeing seem to relate to positive psychological frameworks (e.g., resilience factors and PERMA) considerably. Moreover, optimizing acute subjective effects indicates the importance of set (individual’s internal (mental) factors) and setting (individual’s external factors) in psychedelics administration as moderating factors. A new subfield in positive psychology, …

Organizations As Agents For Well-Being: How An Organizational Orientation To “Do Good” Could Lead To Flourishing, Andrew Frick

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

It has been proposed that flourishing individuals enable flourishing organizations which leads to a flourishing world. However, is it also possible that by focusing on building a flourishing world a reciprocal elevation of organizational flourishing and individual flourishing can occur? This paper discusses well-being, the progression of research regarding organizational orientation to do good, and mirror flourishing. The amplification effect of virtuousness, along with the heliotropic effect, provide support to the theorized concept of mirror flourishing. In addition, this paper proposes a study design using appreciative inquiry to conduct interviews to better understand how an organization’s orientation to do good …

A Prescription Of Positive Psychology: Bridging The Intention-Behavior Gap In Social Prescribing In The Uk, Jill Rzym

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

Although people have intentions to change their behavior, many do not take any action, and this discrepancy is called the intention-behavior gap. Studies estimate the gap is as high as 50%, a figure of some significance in health behavior change. This paper explores the intention-behavior gap in the context of social prescribing in the UK. It looks at the current problems of measurement and evaluation within social prescribing and the potential impact of the intention-behavior gap. The paper also considers the current research addressing the gap and proposes an alternative solution based on a positive psychology framework and positive psychology …

Educating Providers Without Prescriptive Authority About Psychopharmacology Basics: Bridging The Interdisciplinary Work Among Psychotropic Prescribers And Psychologists, Olivia Ceja

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: The purpose of this evidence-based change in practice is to increase the fund of knowledge among psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and talk therapists in outpatient psychiatric settings by educating clinicians about psychopharmacologic basics and the role and work of a psychiatric nurse practitioner during group supervision meetings. This can help bridge the gap of psychopharmacologic knowledge between mental health providers with and without prescriptive authority.

Problem: Evidence shows that psychologists with non-prescribing capabilities are not often trained or educated about the very medications that their clients are often taking. Currently, psychotropic medication education is not a standard aspect …

An Exploratory Study Of Early Childhood Coaches’ Practices And Professional Learning Needs, Rachel E. Schachter, Holly Hatton-Bowers, Hayley Jackson, Lisa Knoche

Faculty Publications, Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies

Coaching is increasingly being used as a mechanism to improve the quality of early childhood education. Yet, for coaching outside of researcher-controlled interventions, limited information details coaches’ reports of their practices’ professional learning needs. We addressed this gap via an exploratory study utilizing online questionnaires of 91 coaches working with educators in a Midwestern US state across 12 coaching initiatives. Most participants had less than 5 years of experience working as an early childhood coach. Almost a third coached for multiple initiatives. Coaching occurred via multiple formats and often addressed behavior management and social emotional development regardless of the coaching …

Posttraumatic Growth And Primal World Beliefs Among People Who Have Caused Accidental Death Or Serious Injury, Mark L. O'Brien

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

Background. Posttraumatic growth (PTG)—positive changes that people may experience in the aftermath of highly distressing experiences—has been observed in survivors of a variety of events but has not been previously studied among people who have caused accidental death or injury (PCADIs). In addition, questions remain about the role, in PTG, of changes in the assumptive world and the relationships between PTG and distress, personality, and social support. Methods. Participants (N = 528), included PCADIs (n = 44) and a non-trauma comparison group (n = 484), who completed the Primals Inventory and measures of personality, anxiety, and depression. …

Virtue Resonance: Friendship In The Context Of Adversity, Christopher J. Baccash

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

This capstone examines how adversity and challenge are favorable conditions for developing friendship. In Part I, I provide an overview of positive psychology, and how my capstone topic fits into the science of well being. In Part II I gather the research and literature on friendship from positive psychology, philosophy and evolutionary psychology and bring forward their wisdom on how adversity fosters connection. In Part III, I define adversity, distinguish it from trauma and discuss how friends could seek an appropriate amount of challenge in their shared experiences. Finally in Part IV, I build on several psychological theories to introduce …

Effects Of Residual Arousal And Cognitive Appraisal On Psychophysiological Reactivity To Stress, Hanna Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Generalized arousal can amplify emotional responses to a range of target stimuli, but it is not yet known whether perceiver characteristics moderate the effects of arousal as target characteristics do. This study investigated the effects of residual arousal from exercise on psychological and physiological reactivity to an active coping task, when individual appraisals of the task differed. Participants who endorsed either a positive or negative attitude toward job interviews underwent either a highly or minimally arousing exercise task, followed by a mock job interview, to which self-reported and cardiovascular responses were assessed. Using the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat …