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The Effects Of Context Dependency In Recognition Memory And Source Memory, Aljeandra Vargas May 2011

The Effects Of Context Dependency In Recognition Memory And Source Memory, Aljeandra Vargas

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Creative Expression Through Dance: The Effect Of Direct Instruction Versus Inquiry Learning Teaching Methods, Christy Hedlund May 2011

Creative Expression Through Dance: The Effect Of Direct Instruction Versus Inquiry Learning Teaching Methods, Christy Hedlund

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


The Impact Of Minority Status And Language Fluency On Vietnamese Asian Americans In The Predominately English-Speaking American Workplace, Lily L. Truong Apr 2011

The Impact Of Minority Status And Language Fluency On Vietnamese Asian Americans In The Predominately English-Speaking American Workplace, Lily L. Truong

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Emotional Regulation And Memory: The Effects Of Reappraisal On Source Decisions, Chad Gremillion Apr 2011

Emotional Regulation And Memory: The Effects Of Reappraisal On Source Decisions, Chad Gremillion

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Should I Stay Or Should I Go? A Mixed-Method Study Of The Mentoring Relationships That Guide Student-Athletes Toward Career Decisions, Andrew J. Schwehm Apr 2011

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? A Mixed-Method Study Of The Mentoring Relationships That Guide Student-Athletes Toward Career Decisions, Andrew J. Schwehm

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Reactions To Psychological Contract Breaches: An Experimental Manipulation Of Severity, Theresa Atkinson Mar 2011

Reactions To Psychological Contract Breaches: An Experimental Manipulation Of Severity, Theresa Atkinson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Brief Interventions For Heavy College Drinkers: Randomized Clinical Trial To Investigate Comparable Efficacy Of Two Active Conditions, Magdalena Kulesza Jan 2011

Brief Interventions For Heavy College Drinkers: Randomized Clinical Trial To Investigate Comparable Efficacy Of Two Active Conditions, Magdalena Kulesza

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Brief interventions for college heavy drinkers have shown promise in reducing drinking and related negative consequences. However, since duration of the intervention, content, method of delivery, and duration of the follow up period vary across studies, we do not know whether length of the intervention has an impact on its effectiveness. In the present study, we conducted a randomized trial systematically evaluating efficacy of two brief interventions aimed at reducing alcohol use and consequences among college student drinkers. In addition, we evaluated treatment mediators and moderators. We randomly assigned 278 heavy drinking students to a 10-minute brief intervention, a 50-minute …


The Relationship Between Visual Attention And Prospective Memory, Noelle L. Brown Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Visual Attention And Prospective Memory, Noelle L. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study examined the role of attention in prospective memory. Prospective memory refers to the ability to form an intention to do something in the future, such as email a colleague, and additionally remembering to do so at the appropriate moment. Theories of prospective memory retrieval suggest that attention is required to complete an intention. However, the exact role of attention and whether it is always required remains unclear. One challenge in examining the allocation of attentional resources in prospective memory is that a direct measure of these resources does not exist. The current study attempted to address this …


Teaching Tactual Discrimination Of Braille Characters To Beginning Braille Readers, Karen A. Toussaint Jan 2011

Teaching Tactual Discrimination Of Braille Characters To Beginning Braille Readers, Karen A. Toussaint

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We taught three children with visual impairments to make tactual discriminations of the braille alphabet within a matching-to-sample format. That is, we presented participants with a braille character as a sample stimulus and they were to select the matching stimulus from an array of three comparisons. In order to minimize participant errors, we arranged braille characters into training sets in which the target and non-target stimuli in the comparison arrays were initially maximally different in terms of the number of dots comprising each character. As participants mastered these discriminations, we then increased the similarity between target and non-target comparisons (i.e., …


Differences Across Racial Groups In Caregiver Ratings Of Symptoms In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cindy Terlonge Graham Jan 2011

Differences Across Racial Groups In Caregiver Ratings Of Symptoms In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cindy Terlonge Graham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A great deal of attention from local, federal, and international communities has been focused on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). As the prevalence of these disorders rise, researchers continue to investigate various unanswered questions. The goal of this study was to examine the differences across racial/ethnic groups in caregiver ratings of symptoms of children diagnosed with ASDs. Results from such research will help determine whether cultural background can influence the recognition of behaviors indicative of an ASD. Culturally-sensitive clinical practice stemming from the significant findings of this research project can help to reduce the age at which minority children are diagnosed. …


A Computer-Based Instructional Program To Teach Braille Reading To Sighted Individuals, Mindy Scheithauer Jan 2011

A Computer-Based Instructional Program To Teach Braille Reading To Sighted Individuals, Mindy Scheithauer

LSU Master's Theses

There is a need for efficient braille training methods for instructors of the visually impaired. This study evaluated the use of a computer-based program intended to train the relation of braille characters to English letters using a matching-to-sample procedure with 4 sighted college students. Each participant mastered matching visual depictions of the braille alphabet to their text counterparts. Further, each participant demonstrated the ability to read a braille passage following this exposure. These gains maintained at variable levels at a follow-up probe 2 to 4 weeks following training.


Family Supportive Organization Perceptions, Work Role Overload, And Burnout: Crossover Effects Of Burnout On Recovery, Suzanne Marie Booth Jan 2011

Family Supportive Organization Perceptions, Work Role Overload, And Burnout: Crossover Effects Of Burnout On Recovery, Suzanne Marie Booth

LSU Master's Theses

The present study is a dyadic examination of the effects individuals’ perceptions of their partners’ burnout have on the individuals’ burnout and their ability to recover from work demands. The effects of burnout were investigated in light of the presence of the buffer of family-supportive organization perceptions. The proposed model for the study was tested using statistical equation modeling (N = 300 cohabiting couples). Family-supportive organization perceptions were shown to mitigate the influence of work role overload on an individual’s burnout and positively relate to recovery from work. In the model, individuals’ perceptions of their partners’ burnout was driven by …


Symptom Profiles And Rates Of Diagnosis In Autistic And Other Atypically Developing Infants And Toddlers, Timothy Michael Dempsey Jan 2011

Symptom Profiles And Rates Of Diagnosis In Autistic And Other Atypically Developing Infants And Toddlers, Timothy Michael Dempsey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Although there are many assessment scales that aid in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), very few instruments are designed specifically to identify the condition in the population of infants and toddlers. The primary purpose of this study is to systematically examine the differences between scores on the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT)-Part 1 in a sample of at risk atypically developing children. Participants are children enrolled in Louisiana’s EarlySteps Program, which provides support services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior psychology) to infants/toddlers and their families from birth to 36 months …


Test-Driving Interventions To Increase Treatment Integrity And Student Outcomes, Evan Henry Dart Jan 2011

Test-Driving Interventions To Increase Treatment Integrity And Student Outcomes, Evan Henry Dart

LSU Master's Theses

Behavioral Consultation is typically an effective way for school psychologists to work with teachers to find an appropriate intervention for implementation in the classroom. While some teachers have no difficulty implementing suggested interventions with high integrity, this is not always the case. The present study attempted to develop a “test-drive” procedure by which resistant teachers were able to implement several interventions briefly in the hope that they found one to their liking and implement it with high levels of integrity. The results indicate that teachers resistant to traditional Behavioral Consultation were able to implement their preferred intervention with high rates …


Assessing Attentional Bias And Cerebral Laterality In Specific Phobia Using A Dichotic Listening Paradigm, Whitney Shay Jenkins Jan 2011

Assessing Attentional Bias And Cerebral Laterality In Specific Phobia Using A Dichotic Listening Paradigm, Whitney Shay Jenkins

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers have found fear to impact a variety of cognitive variables in individuals with specific phobia. Attentional bias is a cognitive variable that has received considerable attention in the specific phobia literature; however, the existing literature follows only one line of attentional bias—bias as encoded through images, words, or other content presented visually. This study aimed to expand on this area by assessing attention and cerebral laterality in individuals with specific phobia using a dichotic listening paradigm (i.e., via auditory means). Results indicated that participants with specific phobias do not significantly differ from controls in terms of the number of …


The Religiosity And Spirituality Scale For Youth: Development And Initial Validation, Brittany C. Hernandez Jan 2011

The Religiosity And Spirituality Scale For Youth: Development And Initial Validation, Brittany C. Hernandez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The literature cites multiple definitions for religiosity and spirituality, with little consensus among researchers. Religiosity/spirituality has been associated with a myriad of positive outcomes in both adults and youth. Despite the importance of these constructs, there are little to no psychometrically sound measures created to assess religiosity or spirituality in youth. Adult measures are psychometrically strong for use with older populations, but none were developed for use with young people. The purpose of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of religiosity and spirituality for use with diverse samples of youth. A sample of 307 youth, aged …


The Contribution Of Implicit Stereotypes To The Overrepresentation Of African Americans In The Special Education Category Of Emotional Disturbance, Tai A. Collins Jan 2011

The Contribution Of Implicit Stereotypes To The Overrepresentation Of African Americans In The Special Education Category Of Emotional Disturbance, Tai A. Collins

LSU Master's Theses

The overrepresentation of African Americans in special education is a problem that has plagued the field since its inception, yet very little progress has been made in alleviating the issue. The problem is especially troubling because of the host of negative outcomes associated with special education in general, as well as placing African American students into special education specifically. The current study sought to examine the contribution of implicit racial stereotypes to the overrepresentation problem. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions where they viewed vignettes about either an African American or Caucasian problem student, after which they completed a questionnaire …


Growth After The Storm: Cognitive Processing And Social Support As Mediators Of The Relation Between Religious Coping And Posttraumatic Growth In Hurricane-Affected Women, Julia Vigna Bosson Jan 2011

Growth After The Storm: Cognitive Processing And Social Support As Mediators Of The Relation Between Religious Coping And Posttraumatic Growth In Hurricane-Affected Women, Julia Vigna Bosson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Although many studies have detailed the maladies imposed by Hurricane Katrina, little work has examined potential benefits gleaned in the wake of the storm. Posttraumatic growth, a construct receiving increased attention in the literature, describes personal betterment or development following a traumatic event in areas such as perceived changes in self, a changed sense of relations with others, and a changed philosophy of life. Researchers have demonstrated a relation between posttraumatic growth and varying factors, including religious coping. The current study established a relation between religious coping and posttraumatic growth in a sample of hurricane-exposed women in Southeastern Louisiana and …


The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity, Disordered Eating And Body Image Among Chinese And Caucasian Students, Lauren E. Baillie Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity, Disordered Eating And Body Image Among Chinese And Caucasian Students, Lauren E. Baillie

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is generally believed that Western culture’s emphasis on thinness is responsible for the presence of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction. However, Asians living in Western societies who are more acculturated to Western values have shown fewer body image and eating problems than their less acculturated Asian peers, while those who are highly acculturated to their native culture may be at increased risk for eating disorder symptoms. In this study, Chinese and Caucasian students attending United States universities completed measures of body image, body esteem, disordered eating and ethnic identity in the language of their choice (English or Simplified …


Simulated Subaverage Performance On The Block Span Task Of The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth Edition, Alyse Ann Barker Jan 2011

Simulated Subaverage Performance On The Block Span Task Of The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth Edition, Alyse Ann Barker

LSU Master's Theses

As clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists routinely assess individuals in medicolegal and criminal forensic settings, they are faced with the challenge of evaluating and testifying on the validity of these psychological and neuropsychological assessments. Individuals possess various motives for manipulating their responses or performance on psychological and neuropsychological assessment instruments. Malingering refers to poor effort on psychological and neuropsychological tests when an external incentive is present to reward poor performance. Malingering can be assessed by stand-alone measures of effort or measures derived from the response profiles of traditionally administered neuropsychological and psychological tests. Using a dataset from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth …


The Role Of Task-Appropriate Processing, Context, And Attention Allocation In Prospective Memory: A Multinomial Modeling Approach, Benjamin Anderson Martin, Ii Jan 2011

The Role Of Task-Appropriate Processing, Context, And Attention Allocation In Prospective Memory: A Multinomial Modeling Approach, Benjamin Anderson Martin, Ii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the influences of attention and retrospective memory processes on prospective memory. In Experiment 1, participants who processed prospective memory cues under conditions that did not coincide with the processes required for making judgments in an ongoing task showed greater levels of performance at the expense of the attentional resources needed to complete the ongoing task. This differed compared to participants who processed cues under conditions that required the same processes needed to performance the ongoing task. In Experiment 2, the reinstatement of contextual features associated with prospective memory cues from the time of intention formation, or encoding, …


Predicting Posttraumatic Growth: Coping, Social Support, And Posttraumatic Stress In Children And Adolescents After Hurricane Katrina, Mark Allen Schexnaildre Jan 2011

Predicting Posttraumatic Growth: Coping, Social Support, And Posttraumatic Stress In Children And Adolescents After Hurricane Katrina, Mark Allen Schexnaildre

LSU Master's Theses

There is a growing area of research that explores the possibility that negative life events could ultimately result in positive outcomes. However, there exists some debate on whether or not children are capable of experiencing such outcomes. The proposed study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive psychological change in the wake of a traumatic event, in a sample of child and adolescent victims of Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, the roles of coping and social support were studied as predictors of PTG. Additionally, the relationship between PTG and posttraumatic stress disorder, which has been shown to be a complex one, was explored. This …


The Baby And Infant Screen For Children With Autism Traits: A Proposed Critical Item Algorithm, Santino Vincent Lovullo Jan 2011

The Baby And Infant Screen For Children With Autism Traits: A Proposed Critical Item Algorithm, Santino Vincent Lovullo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since its first description, the definition of autism has varied as a function of emphases on particular defining features, changes to the age of onset, and confusion with other disorders. However, a recurring theme has been the importance of social impairments with evidence that specific social symptoms, such as joint attention deficits, are predictive of autism within the first or second year of life. In addition to the core domains of impairment, autism is associated with various medical conditions, intellectual disability, comorbid psychopathology, and problem behavior. This is alarming considering that there may be a true increase in the disorder’s …


Smoking Topography And Smoking-Related Outcome Expectancies In Smokers With Schizotypy, Diana Williams Stewart Jan 2011

Smoking Topography And Smoking-Related Outcome Expectancies In Smokers With Schizotypy, Diana Williams Stewart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals with schizophrenia have extremely high smoking rates (70-88%). Compared to smokers in the general population, smokers with schizophrenia have more intense smoking patterns (e.g., more cigarettes per day; smoke stronger cigarettes; higher nicotine dependence, carbon monoxide (CO) boosts, cotinine, and nicotine levels; more extreme smoking topography) and more positive smoking outcome expectancies. However, the relationship between smoking and symptomatology is quite complex. Insight might be gleaned by studying the relationship between smoking and schizotypy, or the putative genetic vulnerability to developing schizophrenia, as it avoids many confounds associated with schizophrenia. This study investigated schizotypy symptoms, smoking characteristics and behaviors, …


The Effect Of Perceived Spatial Distance On The Decision To Relocate For Graduate Education, Claire Frances Taylor Jan 2011

The Effect Of Perceived Spatial Distance On The Decision To Relocate For Graduate Education, Claire Frances Taylor

LSU Master's Theses

This study investigated the influence of perceived spatial distance (PSD) on students’ intentions and decisions to relocate to pursue graduate education. The framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) provided the basis for measurement of the components of PSD, that is one’s attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control about spatial distance, as well as an understanding of how PSD may influence relocation intentions and decisions. The components of PSD were hypothesized to be positively related to relocation decisions, with relocation intentions acting as a moderator. Undergraduate students at Louisiana State University who had applied to at least one …


Assessing Social Support In Children: Development And Initial Validation Of The Social Support Questionnaire For Children, Arlene Tayag Gordon Jan 2011

Assessing Social Support In Children: Development And Initial Validation Of The Social Support Questionnaire For Children, Arlene Tayag Gordon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research examining risk and protective factors associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children has established social support as one of the strongest predictors of psychological health and overall adjustment post-traumatic event (Vigil & Geary, 2008). Greater perceived social support, generally, has been related to more positive outcomes in children (Borja & Callahan, 2008; Cryder, Kilmer, Tedeschi, & Calhoun, 2006; Pina, Villalta, Ortiz, Gottschall, Costa, & Weems, 2008). Understanding the impact of social support on coping with traumatic events such as natural disasters or exposure to community violence is limited by the lack of psychometrically sound measures. The current study …


Effects Of Student Mobility On The Academic Achievement Of Mobile And Nonmobile Students, Rosa Maria Knox Jan 2011

Effects Of Student Mobility On The Academic Achievement Of Mobile And Nonmobile Students, Rosa Maria Knox

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Students who move between schools often have more social, psychological, and academic problems than their peers whose enrollment is stable. However, the negative effects may also be felt among classrooms and schools. To date, much of the student mobility research do not control for demographics or prior achievement, and utilized a sample size of one school or district. The current study examined a statewide database to determine which student variables predict mobile status. Analyses also investigated the relationship between mobility and academic achievement for mobile students, as well as classrooms and schools, while controlling for demographics and prior achievement. The …


Relationships Among The Behavioral Inhibition System, Response Inhibition, Heart Rate Variability, And Anxiety Sensitivity Between Older Adolescents With And Without Significant Anxiety, Erin Tarcza Reuther Jan 2011

Relationships Among The Behavioral Inhibition System, Response Inhibition, Heart Rate Variability, And Anxiety Sensitivity Between Older Adolescents With And Without Significant Anxiety, Erin Tarcza Reuther

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Differences in the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS; Gray, 1982), response inhibition, and cardiac vagal control are evident between individuals with anxiety and nonclinical control participants. In this study, the role of inhibition in anxiety was examined, as well as relationships between the primary indexes of inhibition including the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), response inhibition, and cardiac vagal tone (or heart rate variability) at rest and during tasks of response inhibition. Additionally, anxiety sensitivity, an established risk factor for developing anxiety disorders, was examined and how it relates to indexes of inhibition. As expected, inhibition and anxiety sensitivity were found to …


Effects Of Mindfulness On Body Image, Affect, And Smoking In Women, Claire E. Adams Jan 2011

Effects Of Mindfulness On Body Image, Affect, And Smoking In Women, Claire E. Adams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent research has shown that body image stimuli increase negative affect and smoking urges among female smokers. Mindfulness (paying attention to present-moment experience with an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance) may be a useful technique to minimize the influence of body image issues on negative affect, smoking urges, and smoking behavior. The present study investigated whether mindfulness can influence the way female college smokers respond to a body image challenge. The study used a 2 x 2 factorial design with body image challenge (trying on a bathing suit vs. observing a purse) crossed with instructions (mindfulness vs. silence). Female smokers (n …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Communication And Socialization Deficits In Infants And Toddlers With Autism And Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (Pdd_Nos), Megan Alice Hattier Jan 2011

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Communication And Socialization Deficits In Infants And Toddlers With Autism And Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (Pdd_Nos), Megan Alice Hattier

LSU Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterized by pervasive impairments in repetitive behaviors or interests, communication, and socialization. As the onset of these features occurs at a very young age, early detection is of the utmost importance. In an attempt to better clarify the behavioral presentation of communication and socialization deficits to aid in early assessment and intervention, impairments in these areas were examined among infants and toddlers (17-37 months) with Autistic Disorder (AD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and non-ASD related developmental delay. The Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part1 (BISCUIT-Part1) and the Battelle …