Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Innovativeness And Shopping Website Feature Preferences Across Product Classes, Eric Brandt

ETD Archive

This study was developed to investigate the effects of innovativeness and Internet experience on preferences for shopping website features across different product classes. Consumer innovativeness is often studied as being a driver of the adoption of new products and services, including online shopping. Innovativeness and Internet experience are two widely studied characteristics of consumers that have been shown to predict various facets of online shopping behavior. However, there are many issues surrounding the utility and validity of various measures of innovativeness, not the least of which is that innovativeness has been conceptualized at multiple levels of abstraction. Beyond this, there …

Online Exploration: Browsing Behavior And Website Feature Preferences, Mackenzie Siren

ETD Archive

This exploratory study examines the novel variable of cross-category online browse range (the variety of product categories browsed online by a consumer) and its relationship to general website feature preferences. Utilizing data collected through an online survey, the results are based on a final sample of 313 respondents from the United States, 287 of whom were University students, and 26 of whom were contacts of the research team. The general nature of cross-category online browse range was examined using simple correlation, MANOVA, and ANOVA. Results indicate that the variable is normally distributed throughout the sample population and positively associated with …

Detection Of Magnetic Field Intensity Gradient By Homing Pigeons (Columba Livia) In A Novel "Virtual Magnetic Map" Conditioning Paradigm, Verner Peter Bingman, Cordula V. Mora

Psychology Faculty Publications

It has long been thought that birds may use the Earth's magnetic field not only as a compass for direction finding, but that it could also provide spatial information for position determination analogous to a map during navigation. Since magnetic field intensity varies systematically with latitude and theoretically could also provide longitudinal information during position determination, birds using a magnetic map should be able to discriminate magnetic field intensity cues in the laboratory. Here we demonstrate a novel behavioural paradigm requiring homing pigeons to identify the direction of a magnetic field intensity gradient in a "virtual magnetic map" during a …

Booklet Of Selected Theses From The Ma In Criminology, Ma In Law, Ma In Child, Family And Community Studies, And The International Masters In Early Childhood Education, 2010-2012, Matt Bowden, Carmel Gallagher, Kevin Lalor

Dissertations

This booklet highlights and celebrates the research work of graduates from taught Masters programmes in the School of Social Sciences and Law:

• the MA in Criminology

• the MA in Law

• the MA in Child, Family and Community Studies

• the International Masters in Early Childhood Education, co-delivered with Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (Norway) and the University of Malta (Malta).

The MA in Criminology and the MA in Law commenced in 2006 and the MA in Child, Family and Community Studies commenced in 2007. Each has quickly become established in its field as a …

Semantic Memory Functional Mri And Cognitive Function After Exercise Intervention In Mild Cognitive Impairment, J Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, Piero Antuono, Jeri-Annette Lyons, Ryan J. Hanson, Alissa Butts, Nathan Hantke, Matthew D. Verber

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with early memory loss, Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology, inefficient or ineffective neural processing, and increased risk for AD. Unfortunately, treatments aimed at improving clinical symptoms or markers of brain function generally have been of limited value. Physical exercise is often recommended for people diagnosed with MCI, primarily because of its widely reported cognitive benefits in healthy older adults. However, it is unknown if exercise actually benefits brain function during memory retrieval in MCI. Here, we examined the effects of exercise training on semantic memory activation during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen MCI participants …

Understanding Children's Art Making Preferences: Implications For Art Therapy, Amy Morrison

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study employed a phenomenological, qualitative approach to investigate children’s art making preferences. The researcher was curious about the meaning that creating two-dimensional and three-dimensional art forms held for children. Influences and contributions to children’s art making preferences were explored. Lastly the study questioned what children’s artistic preferences mean for the field of art therapy. Theories of art therapy, artistic development, and child development informed the study. Thirteen children ages 5 to 11, four boys and nine girls participated. The researcher requested the children choose a subject and create the subject in both two and three dimensions. A range of …

Teaching And Teacher-Child Relationships As Explored Through Narrative Processes: A Mixed-Method Analysis, Margaret Koepke Fox

Psychology Department Dissertations

This body of research presents outcomes of mixed-method examinations of teachers stated mental models (MMs) for best practice, observed practices (i.e., coconstructed narratives), and quality of teacher-child relationships. Overarching aims of the investigation were: 1) to identify the relationship between teachers’ stated mental models of best practice and adherence patterns 2) to examine narratives of teachers and students to determine which elements of discursive praxis would be associated with relational connectedness, and 3) to examine the relationship between teachers’ stated MMs for effective pedagogic practice and observed teacher-child interactions. Overall, the moderating effects of teacher (e.g., interaction style; goals for …

Lexical Composition In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Leslie Rescorla, Paige Safyer

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

For sixty-seven children with ASD (age 1;6 to 5;11), mean Total Vocabulary score on the Language Development Survey (LDS) was 65·3 words; twenty-two children had no reported words; and twenty-one children had 1–49 words. When matched for vocabulary size, children with ASD and children in the LDS normative sample did not differ in semantic category or word-class scores. Q correlations were large when percentage use scores for the ASD sample were compared with those for samples of typically developing children as well as children with vocabulariesnouns, represented a variety of semantic categories, and overlapped substantially with the words having highest …

Two To Tango: A Dyadic Analysis Of Links Between Borderline Personality Traits And Intimate Partner Violence, E. Maneta, S. Cohen, Marc S. Schulz, R. J. Waldinger

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Although research has shown links between borderline personality and intimate partner violence (IPV), few studies have examined how each partner’s personality traits may influence the other’s behavior(Hines, 2008). This study incorporated dimensional assessments of borderline personality organization (BPO) in both partners into a dyadic model that examined associations with IPV. In a community sample of 109 couples, Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling was used to examine links between BPO traits in each partner and victimization and perpetration of IPV. Men’s level of BPO traits was associated with more IPV towards and more victimization by their partners. Women’s level of BPO traits was …

Peer Influences On Adolescent Risk Behavior, Dustin Albert, Jason Chein, Laurence Steinberg

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Research efforts to account for elevated risk behavior among adolescents have arrived at an exciting new stage. Moving beyond laboratory studies of age differences in risk perception and reasoning, new approaches have shifted their focus to the influence of social and emotional factors on adolescent decision making. We review recent research suggesting that adolescent risk-taking propensity derives in part from a maturational gap between early adolescent remodeling of the brain’s socioemotional reward system and a gradual, prolonged strengthening of the cognitive-control system. Research has suggested that in adolescence, a time when individuals spend an increasing amount of time with their …

Endogenous Angiotensin Ii‐Induced P44/42 Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase Activation Mediates Sodium Appetite But Not Thirst Or Neurohypophysial Secretion In Male Rats, Laura A. Grafe, Steven J. Fluharty, Daniel K. Yee, Loretta M. Flanagan-Cato

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system makes a critical contribution to body fluid homeostasis, and abnormalities in this endocrine system have been implicated in certain forms of hypertension. The peptide hormone angiotensin II (AngII) regulates hydromineral homeostasis and blood pressure by acting on both peripheral and brain targets. In the brain, AngII binds to the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) to stimulate thirst, sodium appetite and both arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) secretion. The present study used an experimental model of endogenous AngII to examine the role of p44/42 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) as a signalling mechanism to mediate these responses. Animals …

Attention To Explicit And Implicit Contrast In Verb Learning, Jane B. Childers, Amy Hirshkowitz, Kristin Benavides

Psychology Faculty Research

Contrast information could be useful for verb learning, but few studies have examined children's ability to use this type of information. Contrast may be useful when children are told explicitly that different verbs apply, or when they hear two different verbs in a single context. Three studies examine children's attention to different types of contrast as they learn new verbs. Study 1 shows that 3 ½-year-olds can use both implicit contrast (“I'm meeking it. I'm koobing it.”) and explicit contrast (“I'm meeking it. I'm not meeking it.”) when learning a new verb, while a control group's responses did not differ …

Effects Of Partner Attachment Quality On Ptsd Severity With Combat-Exposed Veterans, Robert Desmond Shura

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a response to a traumatic stressor encompasses re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Although many individuals will experience a traumatic stressor in the course of a lifetime, only a fraction fully develop PTSD. The purpose of this dissertation was to inform the question as to why some develop PTSD as a response to combat exposure and others do not. This study used the PTSD Checklist – Military Version (PCL-M), Trauma Symptom Inventory - 2 (TSI-2) and the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ) to test if secure partner attachments predict PTSD severity, anger, and somatization. These models …

West Virginia School Psychologists' Role In Providing Mental Health Services In Schools, Cassandra K. Richardson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the current roles of practicing school psychologists in West Virginia in providing mental health services in schools. A needs-assessment survey developed by the West Virginia School Psychologist Association (WVSPA) was distributed to all the school psychologists in West Virginia in order to determine the main services being provided in the state. The results indicated that school psychologists in West Virginia are spending a very small amount of their time providing school-based mental health services such as counseling and crisis intervention. Results also indicated that no relationship exists between years of experience, highest …

Interpretation Of The Wisc-Iv Working Memory Index As A Measure Of Attention, Talya J. Colliflower

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The WISC-IV Working Memory Index is often interpreted as a valid measure of attention and concentration. Students who score low on the WMI are frequently viewed as having attention difficulties. If the WMI is accurately interpreted as a measure of attention, then students who score low on this composite should present with attention deficits in the classroom. Data of students who were referred for an evaluation to determine special education eligibility were compared to determine the accuracy of the interpretation of the WMI and its relationship with the Inattention and other scales on the Conners 3rd Edition – Teacher Form. …

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy For Posttraumatic Nightmares: Symptom Severity And Control Appraisal Outcomes, Ashley Kay Rose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research included a small-scale randomized, controlled trial of IRT (Imagery Rehearsal Therapy) with a sample of military veterans receiving treatment for PTSD from the VAMC in Huntington, WV. Domains assessed included nightmare severity, posttraumatic cognition, general sleep quality, and PTSD symptom severity. The intended purposes were to evaluate the relative contribution of the imagery rehearsal and rescripting component of IRT intervention in isolation from the sleep hygiene component, to assess fluctuations in symptoms across time, and to assess any relative contribution of control appraisals in outcomes. Due to an unexpectedly small sample size, no definitive conclusions can be drawn …

Student Characteristics And Targeted Based Cognitive Tier Ii Interventions, Patrick M. Billups

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Tier II student characteristics and outcomes on a standardized reading assessment. Ninety students who scored in the lowest third on a Virginia standardized reading test were placed into one of three instructional groups: 1) a control group consistent with instruction from previous years, 2) a “teacher selected” treatment group in which teachers determined students’ cognitive processing deficits and administered a chosen intervention, and 3) a “tested” treatment group in which students were administered the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) and assigned interventions based on the results. …

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 determined. A …

Effects On Student Achievement Of Changing Cognitive Strategies During Targeted Tier Ii Interventions, Angela M. Mellace

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine whether changing cognitive based strategies is more effective than not changing strategies when a student fails to respond to an intervention. Ninety students who performed in the bottom third on a state reading test from a rural school district in Virginia were randomly placed into three groups: 1) students who received traditional evidence-based reading interventions 2) students whose teachers were trained in Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory and whose teacher chose an intervention that she considered being the most suited to the student’s cognitive profile 3) students who were assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III …

The Theory Of Planned Behavior And Financial Literacy: A Predictive Model For Credit Card Debt?, Brian P. Kennedy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The primary purpose of this study was to predict credit card debt among college students by augmenting Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior to include the construct of financial literacy. One hundred and forty-three undergraduates completed an online survey measuring attitudes toward credit cards, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and financial literacy. Statistical analyses revealed that attitudes toward credit, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control successfully predicted students’ intention to use credit cards (R²=.32). Financial literacy failed to predict intention to use credit cards. However, a positive correlation was found between attitudes toward credit cards and amount of …