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Asperger's Syndrome : A Review Of Literature, Tracy L. Gappa

Graduate Research Papers

This paper contains a review of literature on Asperger's Syndrome (AS). This disorder is characterized by deficits in social interaction skills and communication skills (such as the absence of eye contact or facial expressions). Individuals with AS also insist on routines in behaviors, and pursue a relatively narrow range of interests and activities. Etiology is thought to be multifactoral. Studies have indicated that AS may be influenced by genetic factors as well as pre-, peri-, and postnatal trauma. The disorder is also more common among boys than girls.

In this paper, the general clinical features of AS are reviewed, with …

Medicaid Managed Mental Health Care Arrangements In Ahca Area 6: Organizational, Financial And Clinical Structures, M. Susan Ridgely, Julienne A. Giard, Kristen Snyder

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

This report, the first full report on the organizational, financial and clinical structures of the managed mental health care interventions in AHCA Area 6, is presented in the following sections. In Section 2 , we describe the methods used to identify, obtain and analyze information on the nine managed care plans operating in Area 6. In Section 3, we provide a chronology of events related to Medicaid managed care and then describe the Medicaid service delivery system in AHCA Area 6, providing contextual data on the number of Medicaid recipients enrolled in managed care plans, the number of MCOs and …

Quantitative Component Year One Report: Medicaid Enrollee Characteristics, Service Utilization, Costs, And Access To Care In Ahca Areas 4 And 6, Paul Stiles, Kristen Snyder, Mary R. Murrin

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Self-Efficacy And Performance Of Younger And Older Adults In Verbal, Reasoning, And Spatial Domains, Judy L. Thompson

Master's Theses

Age-related decline in intellectual abilities is domain-specific; that is, whether older adults show decreased intellectual performance depends on the type of ability being assessed (Foster & Taylor, 1920; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Kaufman, Reynolds & McLean, 1989; Sattler, 1982). Specifically, verbal abilities tend to decrease with older age (Botwinick, 1977; Cornelius, 1984; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Lachman & Jelalian, 1984). This prevalent finding has been labeled the "classic aging pattern" (Botwinick, 1977). Beyond mere descriptions, however, researchers have begun addressing explanatory mechanisms that underlie age patterns of intellectual decline, maintenance, and growth. What factors might mediate age-related decline on certain …

What Is Learned About Nontarget Items In Simple Visual Search?, John H. Flowers, Karen L. Smith

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Human sensitivity to correlational structure between nontargets and likelihood of target presence in a visual letter-search task were studied in two experiments. In each of these experiments, the performance of subjects for whom the nontarget information was altered in the final trial block was compared with the performance of subjects for whom the nontarget information did not change. When stimulus strings were presented individually on a computer screen and subjects were required to make a yes–no decision about target presence (Experiment 1), the change in nontarget structure resulted in increased reaction times for target-absent trials. When subjects searched simultaneously for …

Partner, Teacher, And Guide: Examples Of Teacher Behavior In Reggio Emilia, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

To give a fuller picture and provide concrete examples of the abstract principles presented above, we offer four short observation records drawn from videotapes taken at the Diana School in 1988 and 1990. They illustrate different kinds of teacher behavior commonly seen in the Reggio Emilia preprimary schools.

The Teacher Gets Children Started
The Teacher Provides Instruction in Tool-Use and Technique
The Teacher Turns a Dispute into a Hypothesis to Test
The Teacher Encourages Children to Solve Their Own Disputes

Adolescent Depression : A Review Of Theoretical Perspectives And Considerations For Assessment, Elizabeth Marie O'Neill

Graduate Research Papers

Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders shared by adolescents and adults. Thus, adolescent depression is an important area of investigation for researchers, parents, clinicians, and teachers. The purposes of this literature review are to (1) provide a critical overview of the major depressive disorder criteria for children and adolescents in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), (2) provide an overview of well-articulated major theories that have attempted to explain the cause(s) of depression in adolescents, and (3) evaluate the psychometric adequacy of those self-report measures of adolescent …

Autism : A Look Into Cause And Treatment, Sarah Chase Ferguson

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the literature on the etiology and treatment of autism in an attempt to answer three questions. First, what are the main theories on the cause of autism? To answer this the theories of the psychoanalytic, behavioral, and biological perspectives are examined. Second, what treatment methods are available for children with autism? Ideas on treatment are discussed from each of. the three perspectives. In addition, UCLA's Young Autism Project and Project TEACCH are covered. Third, what is the nature of treatment? The importance of specific treatment in the areas of language, social skills and daily living skills is …

The Problem Of Verbal Reports In Recreation Research: Review, Recommendations, And New Directions, Bill Borrie

Society and Conservation Faculty Publications

Recent work of cognitive and social psychologists has questioned the ability of subjects to accurately remember and report their experiences. This has particular significance for recreation research as the survey questions we ask of visitors change from more stable visit and group characteristics to reports of conditions, experiences and feelings. Strategies exist to encourage accurate recall, particlarly by minimizing the delay between event and report such as is provided by the Experience Sampling Method.

Interventions For Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Justin M. Larson

Graduate Research Papers

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be widely studied within the literature and researchers continue to investigate interventions and environments which allow for success. Whalen and Renker (1991) argue that multiple intervention methods are needed for success of children and adolescents in social situations. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature, and review interventions used to facilitate appropriate behaviors in children, aged six to eleven, with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Eating-Disorder Patterns In The Minnesota Multiphasic Personaity Inventory, Karen Baer-Barkley

Dissertations

Problem. Early intervention is crucial for effective treatment of eating disorders. While there have recently been many assessment tools developed specifically for eating disorders, a screening tool is still needed. This study sought to identify, in an eating-disordered sample, the existence of a v-shaped pattern on scales 4-5-6 of the MMPI, a commonly used general measure of psychopathology.

Method. The sample consisted of 356 females who were being treated for eating disorders through the HOPE program between 1989 and 1996. Past research on the MMPI has produced equivocal results on identifying significant patterns on the clinical scales. Since prior research …

Awareness Of Deficits In Dementia Of The Alzheimer’S Type And Normal Aging, Jay D. Anderson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Past research has documented the presence of frontal lobe dysfunction in both dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (DAT) and normal aging. The purpose of the present study was to further investigate whether one particular type of frontal lobe dysfunction, unawareness of deficits or anosognosia, differs qualitatively or quantitatively when occurring in DAT versus the normal aging process. Anosognosia was investigated in three groups of subjects: individuals diagnosed with DAT (N = 25), older normal controls (N = 25), and middle-aged normal controls (N = 25). Unawareness of deficits was operationalized as the discrepancy between subjects' self-rating and that of another …

Fitness To Stand Trial In Australia: The Investigation And Comparison Of Clinical Opinion And Legal Criteria, Miranda P. Hogg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The extent to which Australian psychologists and psychiatrists are cognisant of the legal standard for Fitness to Stand Trial (FST) was investigated. 198 psychologists from The Australian Psychological Society (APS), and 125 psychiatrists from The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) responded to a survey. Psychiatrists identified a greater number of legal criteria than psychologists. This finding extended across clinicians who had experience in the evaluation of fitness to stand trial and those who did not. No difference was found between psychologists and psychiatrists for mentioning irrelevant or insufficient considerations. However, a within-group analysis revealed that the …

Oppositional Defiant Disorder And Conduct Disorder : Different Names For The Same Condition?, Daryl L. Hawkins

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature related to the proposition that oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder are, in essence, the same disorder, with varying degrees of severity. The author of this paper believes that it would make more sense diagnostically to combine these two diagnoses into one category.

This paper will cover a variety of areas related to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. First, a section on the formulation of the diagnostic criteria is presented. Brief definitions and descriptions of the two disorders follow the diagnostic criteria section. In addition to …

School-Based Primary Prevention Programs For Eating Disorders, Suzanne D. Holmes

Graduate Research Papers

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of the literature and research related to anorexia nervosa, and to emphasize the importance of prevention programs in school settings and the role of school psychologists in the prevention and intervention process. Chapter two of this paper covers anorexia nervosa and the theories regarding its etiology, complications, co-morbidities, risk factors, and treatment. Because anorexia nervosa is a disorder which most frequently begins during adolescence, chapter three addresses the specific factors of adolescence that can lead to eating disorders.

Throughout the paper, there is an emphasis on the lack …

Validation Of The Barkemeyer-Callon-Jones Malingering Detection Scale: The Ability Of A Scale Differentiate Simulating Malingers From Controls And Prior Litigants From Those With No Litigation Experience Within A Sample Of Men Who Have All Suffered Chronic Low Back Pain, David Curnow

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Chronic low back pain costs the community, and several authors have suggested that individuals often attempt to exaggerate chronic low back pain. Currently no reliable and valid scale for assessing malingering in chronic pain populations exists, and there is a large difference in opinion on the ability of experts using clinical judgment to detect malingering. The current study seeks to provide a validation for the BarkemeyerCallon-Jones Malingering Detection Scale (MDS) which has purported to be able to identify individuals attempting to malinger neurological conditions and pain. A simulation design was used, as in previous research, because it is difficult to …

The Relationship Between Childhood Aggression And Impulsiveness, Mary Gail Glover

Graduate Theses

Previous research on the relationship between children's levels of aggression and impulsivity have been inconclusive. Studies of each of these behaviors independently have shown that they are correlated with many of the same factors. However, no studies have been found in which aggression and impulsivity have correlated specifically with each other. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a relationship exists between aggression and impulsivity in children. The participants of this study consisted of 115 children who had been tested at a center for behavioral analysis to determine diagnoses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. They had been referred for …

Processing Strategies And Recall Performance For Narrative Passages And Word Lists Of Negative And Neutral Affective Valence In Depression, Lora L. Sloan

Theses and Dissertations

Depressed individuals have been found to exhibit memory deficits on tasks that require effortful processing. They have also been found to remember negative materials better than their nondepressed cohorts. While these findings are well-documented, there have been few studies designed to examine how and why these differences in recall occur. The present study examined prose passage and word list recall in depressed and nondepressed college students. Processing times and structure of recall were also examined to assist in determining how material was processed and remembered. Half of the passages and word lists utilized were of negative affective valence and half …

Young Adolescents’ Conflicts With Siblings And Friends, Marcela Raffaelli

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

One hundred twelve white, middle class 10-14-year-olds participated in a descriptive study of conflict with their closest sibling and best friend. Analysis of questionnaire ratings (completed by all participants) revealed that frequency of conflict was significantly related to ratings of the friend’s importance and satisfaction with the friendship but was not related to sibling relationship ratings. Descriptions of specific conflicts in the two relationships (provided by 81 youngsters) were compared to examine the onset, process, and aftermath of conflict. Conflicts between siblings and friends differed in how they were structured and experienced, suggesting that conflict functions differently in each relationship. …

Cross-Validation Of The Injury Behavior Checklist In A School-Age Sample, Richard Potts, Isaac Martinez, Angela Dedmon, Leslie Schwarz, David Dilillo, Lisa Swisher

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Examined descriptive characteristics, internal validity, and convergent validity of the Injury Behavior Checklist (IBC) in a sample of 7- to 10-year-old children. Although the IBC was originally designed for use with preschool children, results of the present study showed that it has acceptable psychometric qualities for use with children as old as 9 years. The IBC shows promise as an easily administered instrument for research on psychological and behavioral mechanisms of child hood injury, as well as for individual screening for injury liability.

Center For Psychology Studies Newsletter - Fall 1997, Nova Southeastern University

Center for Psychological Studies Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Divorce And Custody Arrangements On Children’S Behavior, Development, And Adjustment, Michael E. Lamb, Kathleen J. Sternberg, Ross A. Thompson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article summarizes the consensus among a group of experts from developmental and clinical psychology, sociology, social welfare, and law who sought to evaluate existing empirical evidence regarding the ways in which children are affected by divorce and the varying custody arrangements that follow it. Divorce and/or single parenthood tend to have adverse effects on children’s adjustment, with the magnitude of the effects varying depending on the psychological status of the two parents, the extent of conflict between them, and the financial circumstances, particularly after divorce. Children whose nonresidential parents continue to support them financially, those whose custodial parents are …

The Influence Of Case And Professional Variables On The Identification And Reporting Of Child Maltreatment: A Study Of Licensed Psychologists And Certified Masters Social Workers, David J. Hansen, Kurt M. Bumby, Lori M. Lundquist, Reginald M. Chandler, Peter T. Le, Kristine T. Futa

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

All 50 states have laws requiring mental health and other professionals to report suspected maltreatment. Unfortunately, many professionals who are mandated to report suspicions of child maltreatment often fail to recognize potential maltreatment or fail to report their suspicions. The present study examines several factors that may influence identification and reporting of child maltreatment. Subjects were licensed psychologists in the Midwest and certified Masters social workers in Nebraska. Child maltreatment included neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Characteristics associated with the family or “case” (race, socioeconomic status of family, age of victim, type of maltreatment) were manipulated and …

Intimacy Deficits, Fear Of Intimacy, And Loneliness Among Sexual Offenders, Kurt M. Bumby, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Intimacy deficits and loneliness recently have been theorized as influential factors in the etiology and maintenance of sexually offending behaviors, although to date there has been a lack of empirical research conducted to address this proposition. The present study examined intimacy defi cits, fear of intimacy, and loneliness among intrafamilial child molesters, rapists, nonsexually offending inmates, and a community sample of adult males. The child molesters and rapists reported greater overall intimacy deficits than did the nonsexually offending inmates and community controls, with rapists reporting the greatest intimacy deficits. Fear of intimacy was found to be a particularly salient characteristic …

Knowledge Structures: An End To The Redundancy And The Confusion, Doreen Comerford

Link Foundation Modeling, Simulation and Training Fellowship Reports

Situation awareness (SA) is most commonly defined as "the perception of the elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future" (Endsley, 1995, p. 36). While researching this construct, we were continuously faced with several terms that, like SA, have themselves never been uniformly defined. For example, the following terms have, in some way, been associated with the construct known as SA: device model, domain model, mental model, script, schema, and "the picture" among others (c.f., Mogford, 1994; Endsley, 1995; Garland & Hopkin, …

The Role Of Alcohol And Stress On Measures Of Depression And Anxiety Among College Students, Jeffrey F. Porter

Masters Theses

In clinical literature regarding the effects of regular alcohol use, psychological benefits of moderate consumption have been suggested (Neff & Husaini, 1982; Neff, 1984; Neff & Husaini, 1985; Neff, 1985; Neff, 1986; Neff, 1993, Lipton, 1994). Despite the diverse groups with which this theory has been examined, no published studies have lookeq specifically at the high-risk group of college undergraduates. Subjects were surveyed to assess their typical drinking behavior, the number of stressful events they had experienced within the past 12 months, their perceived social support, and depressive and anxiety symptoms they experienced within the seven days leading up to …

Malcolm X And The Psychology Of "Barn Burning", Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides historical and psychological data that may bear on the recent firesetting tragedy involving Dr. Betty Shabbaz, Malcolm X's widow, and his grandson, Malcolm Shabbaz.

Cultural, Historical, And Subcultural Contexts Of Adolescence: Implications For Health And Development, Lisa J. Crockett

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although clearly influenced by biological and psychological growth, adolescent development is also molded by the social and cultural context in which it occurs. As the transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescence is closely tied to the structure of adult society, and the expectations for youth during this period reflect, in important ways, the skills and qualities deemed important for success in adult roles (Benedict, 1937; Havighurst, 194811972). Furthermore, prevailing demographic, economic, and political conditions determine the adult occupational and social roles to which young people can aspire, as well as the access to and competition for those roles (Elder, 1975). …

The Developmental Abilities Of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates, Cynthia A. Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Bayley Mental Psychomotor Developmental Indices Scores of 61 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates were examined to investigate whether a predicted early developmental lag would occur followed by an increase or "catch-up" over time. Results indicated that no significant changes occurred over time; however, mental (Bayley MDI) scores were lower than motor (Bayley PDI) scores particularly at the 4- and 22-month test age. Gross motor, fine motor, social, cognitive, and language development was also investigated to see whether expected differences among these domains occurred over time. Results indicated that gross motor scores were greater than all other domains. Ethnicity, birth weight, …

Risk Factors In Adolescents For Engaging In Sexual Behaviors, Dolores Calderon Castellano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Teenage sexuality has become a social concern, because of its impact on teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, government aid and school drop-out. In an effort to better predict risk of early sexual activity, a secondary analysis was conducted on data collected from 413, 11-14 year old students attending the 6th, 7th and 8th grade levels in Hidalgo County, in south Texas. Parent-child Communication, Children's Religiosity, Educational Goals, Educational Grades, Self-Esteem, and Congruency of Sexual Values between children and parents were used as predictor variables. Multiple regression analysis revealed Congruency of Values, Educational Goals, Educational Grades and Religion as the …