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Spring Break Or Heart Break? Extending Valence Bias To Emotional Words, Nicholas R. Harp, Catherine C. Brown, Maital Neta

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Ambiguous stimuli are useful for assessing emotional bias. For example, surprised faces could convey a positive or negative meaning, and the degree to which an individual interprets these expressions as positive or negative represents their “valence bias.” Currently, the most well- wellvalidated ambiguous stimuli for assessing valence bias include nonverbal signals (faces and scenes), overlooking an inherent ambiguity in verbal signals. This study identified 32 words with dual-valence ambiguity (i.e., relatively high intersubject variability in valence ratings and relatively slow response times) and length-matched clearly valenced words (16 positive, 16 negative). Preregistered analyses demonstrated that the words-based valence bias correlated …

Nontarget Emotional Stimuli Must Be Highly Conspicuous To Modulate The Attentional Blink, Lindsay A. Santacroce, Brandon J. Carlos, Nathan Petro, Benjamin J. Tamber-Rosenau

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The attentional blink (AB) is often considered a top-down phenomenon because it is triggered by matching an initial target (T1) in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream to a search template. However, the AB is modulated when targets are emotional, and is evoked when a task-irrelevant, emotional critical distractor (CDI) replaces T1. Neither manipulation fully captures the interplay between bottom-up and top-down attention in the AB: Valenced targets intrinsically conflate top-down and bottom-up attention. The CDI approach cannotmanipulate second target (T2) valence, which is critical because valenced T2s can “break through” the AB (in the target-manipulation approach). The present …

Effect Of Human-Animal Interactions On Retail Employees’ Job Satisfaction And Job Performance, Michelle Elizabeth Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that companion animals can have a positive effect on people who suffer from mental and physical illnesses; however, few studies have considered the impact of human-animal interactions (HAIs) on employees in the work environment. This quantitative study investigated the effect of HAIs on 146 employees’ job satisfaction and job performance in three retail environments with a range of potential animal interactions: retail store with no animal presence (none), retail store with occasional animal presence (occasional), and retail store with persistent animal presence (constant). Retail employees’ job satisfaction and performance in each retail setting were assessed using the …

Ghanaian Immigrant Women In The United States Beliefs About Maternal Nutrition And Fetal Development, Yassi Azhdari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ghanaian women, in their native country, experience a high rate of anemia, malaria, and malnutrition while pregnant. Poor health outcomes for mother and child are caused by a lack of protein in their diet, food taboos, consumption of nutrient-poor foods, and infections. These conditions may cause pregnancy complications such as premature birth, or maternal or fetal death. There is little known about, the differences between the Ghanaian and U.S. birth experience, and foods used by Ghanaian immigrant women while pregnant. The biopsychosocial model was used in this descriptive qualitative study to examine how Ghanaian immigrant women are impacted by pregnancy …

Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine Administration On Choice Of Probabilistic Outcomes, Katya A. Nolder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Risky choice can be operationally defined as the choice for a larger, uncertain reinforcer over a smaller, certain reinforcer. Research suggests smokers engage in more risky or maladaptive decisions when compared to nonsmokers. The relation between nicotine and risky choice could benefit from further investigation, since nicotine is the active substance of tobacco products that maintains tobacco addiction. Acute nicotine administration has shown to alter risky choice; however, since the everyday smoker uses nicotine repeatedly, more research on chronic administration is warranted and would allow for assessment of tolerance or sensitization of these effects. The present study investigated effects of …

The Role Of Acetylcholine In Attention And Lapses In Attention In Rats Using The Mode And Deviation From Mode Of Reaction Time Latency, Scott Lee Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently the neurodevelopmental disorder most commonly diagnosed in children in the United States, and one of the defining characteristics of ADHD is inattention. Inattention is marked by increased lapses in attention, and when assessed clinically, it has been highly correlated with reaction-time variability (RTV). Evidence from the human/clinical literature has shown an inherently higher RTV to be the primary quantitative indicator of an ADHD diagnosis. Reaction-time distributions are characterized by an asymmetrical rightward skew, and because of the prevalence of this presentation, it has been theorized that the distribution peak and skew represent separate phenomena, …

The Relationship Between Nostalgia, Life Meaningfulness, And Distress Tolerance Within A Chronic Pain Population, Samantha Lyon

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Nostalgia, defined as a bittersweet longing for the past, has been found to buffer against existential threats through increasing perception of meaning in life (MIL). MIL consists of subconstructs including coherence, significance, and purpose. The relationship between nostalgia and the subconstructs of MIL has not been fully established and which MIL component(s) nostalgia affects is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to better understand the relationship between nostalgia and components of MIL as well as psychological wellness within a chronic pain population. It was hypothesized that participants high in trait nostalgia would have a higher overall MIL score …

Resources For Higher Education Faculty: Development Of The Growth Mindset Curriculum For College Instructors, Angela Gwathney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Student’s implicit theories of intelligence within higher education influences their academic performance. A two-part study was conducted to assess educator’s implicit theory of intelligence within high academia. Participants in Study 1 included instructors within higher education institutions who have been administered a Google survey inquiring about their teaching pedagogies, personal characteristics, and demographic. Results indicated that faculty, in general, hold a growth mindset about their students but also hold some fixed mindset beliefs. In addition, there were few differences between instructors from Community Colleges vs Four-Year Institutions or between Public vs Private Institutions. These results suggest that students are no …

Examining Physicians’ Attitudes And Knowledge Regarding Medical Marijuana, Philip Kaplan

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit substances in the U.S. and its rapid implementation as a form of treatment has sparked significant national attention and debate among clinicians. In the United States, medical marijuana (MM) may be recommended as a form of treatment by certified physicians. The purpose of this study was to examine licensed physicians’ support for recommending MM for various health conditions, their perceived knowledge regarding its efficacy as treatment, and their attitudes toward MM. This study employed a correlational design utilizing a self-administered, online survey (PCOM REDCap) to collect quantitative information from licensed and …

Disney Princess Films And Their Effects On Gender And Body Image Through The Social Learning Theory, Jessica Yakubovsky

Capstone Showcase

Many of us grew up watching Disney Films and throughout the last decade and prior, the Walt Disney Company has created a variety of characters whom we grew up alongside. As we watched these films we found ourselves within the characters and learned things through them. This thesis paper aims to analyze Disney Princess Films and their profound effects on Gender and Body image through the theoretical perspective of the Social Learning theory. I will analyze Classic Disney princesses such as Snow White and Cinderella, and modern princesses such as Mulan(1998) and Merida (2011). My critical analysis indicates that Disney …

The Comfort Watch: Psychology And Media Theory Perspectives On Nostalgia And Film, Sohni Kaur

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explored the relationship between nostalgia, film, and coping mechanisms,

using both media theory and psychological lenses. Nostalgia, a concept with roots in both media theory and psychology, is best defined as homesickness for a time rather than a place. Nostalgia, when combined with film, leads to the concept of “comfort watches”, a scarcely researched topic. From a psychological standpoint, research suggests that nostalgia and media usage are commonly used coping mechanisms, yet there has been little to no research combining the two. The psychological study included in this thesis was conducted online in the United States using 83 …

Developmental Influences On The Initial Subjective Rewarding Effects Of Etoh, Madison Waldron

Master’s Theses

The present studies were aimed to better understand developmental contributions to the risk for disordered drinking, and facilitate the long-term goal of developing effective interventions for individuals at high risk for alcohol use disorders. Experiment 1 assessed the effect of adolescent pre-exposure to ethanol on adult place preference, as well as, sex- and beta-endorphin(bE)-related contributions. Adolescent C57BL/6J and bE deficient mice were injected with 1.5g/kg of ethanol or saline and put back into their home cages. At the time of adulthood, we employed a single-exposure conditioned place preference paradigm (SE-CPP) to investigate the impact of preexposure on the initial subjective …

A Conceptual Proposal For The Epigenetically Causal Relationship Between Parental Ptsd And Inflammatory Disease In Post Hoc Offspring., Emma Griffith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Could a combat veteran's horrific experiences in early-2000s Afghanistan have a direct, biological impact his now-adult daughter's risk of a heart attack later in her life? This concept would have been unapologetically mocked a mere twenty years ago, and it has only been in the past decade that the new field of epigenetics has revealed a distinct possibility for this event to actually take place—for parents' experiences to profoundly influence the biology of their children. The major objective of this research project is to argue for the legitimacy of this theoretical phenomenon by discussing the latest data regarding PTSD's interaction …

Playing To Heal: The Impact Of Bereavement Camp For Children With Grief., Clarissa L. Salinas

Counseling Faculty Publications

Child bereavement is a difficult topic to explore and study because of stigmas in discussing death, and because of restrictions in doing research with young children. Thus, research in childhood bereavement is limited. This study focused on children who attended a bereavement camp after the traumatic loss of a loved one. The purpose was to understand the participants’ grief experiences. This research study used phenomenological inquiry and analysis methodology. Five female participants were interviewed for this study. In addition, participants created a sandtray world to convey their experiences at bereavement camp. The essence of participants’ experiences as revealed through verbal …

Psychosocial Preoperative Preparation In A Non-Children's Hospital Without Child Life Supports, Haley M. Fricke

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

On average, 6 million children undergo general anesthesia for surgery annually in the United States (Shah et al., 2021).Anesthesia can be one of the most stress provoking experiences, with 40% to 60% of children displaying emotional and behavior stress before surgery (Boles, 2016). Psychosocial preoperative preparation in pediatrics has been seen to lower children’s stress levels, enhance understanding, increase compliance, decrease length of time in recovery, and decrease analgesic use (Aranha et al., 2017; Al-Yateem et al., 2016; Dolidze et al., 2013; Tunney & Boore 2013; Wenstrom et al., 2011). The purpose of this exploratory case study was to better …

Nsu College Of Psychology Graduate Student Catalog 2021–2022, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Evaluation Of A Digital Token Economy To Increase Student Engagement During Group Teletherapy, Hunter King, Katerra Miller-Johnson, Keely Mcculla, Aaron J. Fischer, Shengtian Wu, Mikey Miller

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Shortly following the temporary nationwide school dismissal amid COVID-19, the current exploratory case-study evaluated the feasibility of two engagement strategies delivered during group teletherapy: Class Dojo and opportunities to respond (OTR). Three elementary students with emotional and behavioral difficulties participated. An A-B-A design was used to evaluate the effects of Class Dojo on student engagement with therapist-delivered OTRs. Due to one student’s poor response to the contingency, an A-B-C design was used to evaluate the additive effect of student-delivered OTRs on his engagement. Results indicated moderate to high rates of student attendance, and consistently high rates of engagement for two …

Spring Break Or Heart Break? Extending Valence Bias To Emotional Words, Nicholas R. Harp, Catherine C. Brown, Maital Neta

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Ambiguous stimuli are useful for assessing emotional bias. For example, surprised faces could convey a positive or negative meaning, and the degree to which an individual interprets these expressions as positive or negative represents their “valence bias.” Currently, the most well- wellvalidated ambiguous stimuli for assessing valence bias include nonverbal signals (faces and scenes), overlooking an inherent ambiguity in verbal signals. This study identified 32 words with dual-valence ambiguity (i.e., relatively high intersubject variability in valence ratings and relatively slow response times) and length-matched clearly valenced words (16 positive, 16 negative). Preregistered analyses demonstrated that the words-based valence bias correlated …

To Like Or To Want? Exploring The Psychobiological Processes Of Human Food Reward, Angela Mastroianni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Incentive Salience Theory (IST; Berridge and Robinson, 1998; 2016) has shown that wanting (craving) and liking (affective) processes can affect eating behaviour differently in animals. These processes often correlate but can dissociate (change differently) under certain circumstances as they rely on separate neural mechanisms (Berridge, 1996). More recently, work has been testing the IST in people by comparing broad food categories (Finlayson et al. 2007a; 2008). The results have been inconsistent, sparking debate about the theory's value for studying human feeding (Havermans, 2011; 2012).

This dissertation's aim was to explore if IST wanting and liking are independent processes controlling …

Decipher The Effect Of Gamification In Harnessing Boredom And Improving Performance, Zhuoyi Zhao

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

My thesis investigates the effectiveness of gamification in harnessing boredom and improving performance in a repetitive work process. In video games, “loot” rewards are unpredictable, intermittent gains used to motivate players to repeat boring actions. In a 2 X 2 experiment, I examine how loot rewards in point form may impact 1) disengagement, which is an immediate outcome of boredom, and 2) performance in settings where the points have and do not have cash value, respectively. More specifically, I manipulate the level of point reward unpredictability (fixed versus loot) and whether point rewards have cash value (absent versus present).

In …

"Learning" To Feel Valued: Exploring The Impact Of Community Service Learning On Student Mattering And Mental Health, Emily Weatherhead

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Post-secondary students are facing an unprecedented level of mental health concerns. While treating mental illness has traditionally been prioritized, mental health promotion strategies are also essential. Existing research has shown that mattering, one’s ability to feel valued by and add value to their community, can promote positive mental health in post-secondary students. Using mixed methods, the goal of this research was to explore the potential of community service learning (CSL), which allows students to participate in community placements in exchange for course credit, to increase student mattering and positive mental health. Pre- and post-online surveys were administered to a sample …

Job Seeking And Daily Workforce Experiences Of Autistic Librarians, Amelia Anderson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Anecdotal accounts suggest that librarianship is a rewarding career for some autistic adults, though no empirical evidence exists to support such claims. Additionally, barriers may exist for autistic librarians, both in job seeking and in on-the-job experiences. As autistic adults are un- and underemployed more than their neurotypical peers, it is important to understand the role that libraries can play in supporting their employment. In this qualitative study, ten librarians with graduate degrees, who self-identify as autistic, describe their experiences in job seeking and daily working experiences in the library field through interviews in multiple formats. Results indicate issues around …

Mood Judgments And Memory For Tunes: A Special Case Of Levels Of Processing?, Andrea R. Halpern, Esra Mungan, Zehra F. Peynircioğlu

Faculty Journal Articles

Although levels of processing (LOP) effects are well-established in memory research, beneficial effects of “deep” orienting tasks have rarely been reported in studies of tune memory. Our prior work implicated mood judgments as one candidate for a beneficial orienting task. The current series explored both the robustness and potential explanations for that enhancement. In four experiments, we varied type of processing tasks (including mood and other putatively deep/conceptual and shallow/ perceptual tasks) and the familiarity of the tunes in a recognition paradigm, which included “remember/know” judgments. Experiment 1, with low-familiarity tunes, revealed a LOP effect for two conceptual (mood, continuation) …

Parental Influences On Children’S Decisions Making, Karinna Anne Rodriguez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is currently not enough research that focuses on parental influences on children’s development of decision making in early childhood. During early childhood children are primarily situated in the family context and are likely learning about decision making through their interactions with parents. Previous research has suggested children begin to develop complex decisions-making skills in early childhood. Complex decision-making includes the ability to consider the future and social benefits for the self and others. Future-oriented decisions requires the difficult task of deliberating between sacrificing an instant reward for a larger reward in the future, while social-oriented decisions require the consideration …

The Effects Of Discrimination Training Using Multiple Modes Of Presentation To Teach Identification Of Bullying To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alyssa M. Sedghikhoi-Milani

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) on the identification of bullying with six participants using a mixed method experimental design. During baseline, participants were given comic strip vignettes depicting examples and non-examples of verbal, relational, and physical bullying. After each vignette was presented, participants were asked “what happened?” If there was no mention of bullying in any form in their response, they were asked a follow-up question of “Was there bullying?” During intervention participants were exposed to a group and video instruction phase explaining the different types of bullying, a …

Transmission Of Emotion Regulation From Parent To Child: Indirect Effect Of Maternal Emotion Regulation Through Parenting Behaviors, Sabrina D. Ung

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Emotion regulation (ER), the regulatory component of temperament, has important implications for emotional, behavioral, and physical health throughout the lifespan. Researchers have examined various factors, such as maternal ER functioning and parenting behaviors, that influence the development of ER abilities in early childhood. Greater maternal ER functioning, including the use of cognitive reappraisal, is linked to better child ER. Additionally, positive parenting, characterized by warm, responsive, sensitive, and supportive interactions, has been found to predict better child ER functioning. Negative parenting (i.e., harsh, intrusive, and insensitive interactions) predicts poor child ER. Maternal ER has also been found to predict parenting, …

Examining Mental Health And Resiliency Factors Of Gifted And Talented Students Participating In An Accelerative, Residential Program, Kevin Kusy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Early intervention around mental health and wellness is a vital piece for the school system to address when working holistically with students. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) emphasize the importance for schools to develop a comprehensive systemic framework around the academic, social, and emotional needs of students. By using the Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS), school districts can administer Universal Mental Health Screening (UMHS), a Tier 1 intervention, to help identify students who may be considered at risk for mental health and wellness issues. Unfortunately, less than 15% of …

A Review Of The Use Of Advance Notice As An Intervention For Transition Related Problem Behavior: Implications For Practice And Future Research, Matthew Boliard

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Tolerating transitions between activities and locations is an essential daily-living skill, as transitions are inevitable in most typical settings. However, for some individuals, requests to transition may occasion problem behavior which can interfere with daily routines and result in a more restrictive lifestyle. The unpredictability of transitions is often assumed to be aversive and functionally related to transition-related problem behavior. As a result, advance notice procedures are often recommended to reduce problem behavior during transitions. However, Brewer et al. (2014) found mixed results for the use of advance notice highlighting some studies where advance notice procedures reduced problem behavior and …

Bullying Prevention And Social Justice: Recommendations For Teachers, Anna Grigorian-Routon

Theses and Dissertations

Though bullying was once considered a "rite of passage," in recent years experts have begun to re-conceptualize bullying as an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim and to recognize the deleterious mental health outcomes that are often the result of having experienced or having participated in bullying. This phenomenon is also coming to be viewed more broadly as a human rights violation as it creates and perpetuates barriers for specific student populations to equal access to education. Historically, teachers have been among the most outspoken advocates of social justice issues and are on the front lines of …

Third Culture Kids - Playing To Heal, Amna Sana

Theses and Dissertations

With increased globalization and a large expat population, Qatar is home to increasing numbers of Third Culture Kids (TCKs). TCKs are children who live in a country where their parents are non-native, children who grow up between cultures. Young TCKs, especially children between the ages of three and seven, do not possess the skills to adequately vocalize their feelings, but fortunately, play therapy allows them to articulate problems and feelings on their own terms. This thesis addresses the emotional hurdles facing TCKs, using concepts derived from play therapy and offering a series of interactive objects designed to reflect emotional expression …