Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Transcendent Experiences As Promoters Of Ecological Wellbeing? Exploration Of The Evidence And Hypotheses To Be Tested, Amy Isham

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

In recent years, much has been written on the role of different mental states and their potential to influence our way of thinking and, perhaps more importantly, the way we act. With the recent acceleration of environmental and mental health issues, alongside the limited effectiveness of existing interventions, an exploration of new approaches to deliver transformative change is required. We therefore explore the emerging potential of a type of mental state known as self-transcendent experiences (STEs) as a driver of ecological wellbeing. We focus on four types of STEs: those facilitated by experiences of flow, awe, and mindfulness, as well …

Preclinical Perspectives On Disorders Of The Temporomandibular Joint: Tracing The Past, Navigating The Present, And Shaping The Future, John K Neubert, Kyle Allen, Tamara Alliston, Alejandro J Almarza, Kyriacos A Athanasiou, Basak Donertas-Ayaz, Bruna Balbino De Paula, Roxanne Bavarian, Nidhi Bhutani, Brian E Cairns, Robert M Caudle, Yang Chai, Jian-Fu Chen, Yong Chen, Glenn T Clark, Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, Alexandre F Dasilva, Paul L Durham, Airam Vivanco Estela, Millie Embree, Roger Fillingim, Fernando Guastaldi, Shruti Handa, Sunil D Kapila, David Keith, Keith L Kirkwood, Phillip Kramer, Katherine T Martucci, Niall P Murphy, Andrea G Nackley, Richard Ohrbach, Benedikt Sagl, Shad B Smith, Feng Tao, Beth Winkelstein, Hai Yao, Simon Young, Michael S Gold

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are complex conditions characterized by orofacial pain and dysfunction, affecting a significant portion of the population. TMDs may involve joint and/or muscle pain, dysfunction (e.g., noise, limited or altered jaw movements), or both, leading to a marked decrease in quality of life. Patients often experience functional limitations that hinder eating, speaking, and daily activities. Additionally, TMDs are frequently associated with psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, which further impacts overall well-being. Despite the profound individual and societal impact of TMDs, effective therapies remain elusive, partly due to deficiencies in translational research. A primary limitation in the TMD …

A Short Trip: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of The Perceived Effects Of Vaporized Dmt Vs Vaporized 5-Meo-Dmt, Cynthia Estrella Ortiz

All ETDs from UAB

The rise in psychedelic use has been accompanied by increased interest in alternative routes of administration, including vaporization. However, little is known about the characteristics and outcomes associated with vaporized forms of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). This mixed-methods study examined the subjective experiences and mental health correlates of individuals who reported using vaporized DMT, vaporized 5-MeO-DMT, or psilocybin mushrooms in the past six months. A total of 209 adults completed an online survey assessing demographic variables, substance use, and psychological functioning, including measures of global health (PROMIS), subjective happiness, magical ideation, spiritual connection, psychosis-like experiences (CAPE-42), and hypomanic symptoms. …

Differential Susceptibility: How Parenting Behaviors Predict Adolescent Antisocial Behavior In The Context Of Candidate Plasticity Genes, Amanda Moore

All ETDs from UAB

Adolescent antisocial behavior (ASB) has been consistently linked to parenting behaviors, yet individual variability in response to parenting remains poorly understood. Grounded in the differential susceptibility theory, this study examined how candidate plasticity genes interact with poor parenting to predict ASB in adolescents. A sample of 272 youth from the Birmingham Youth Violence Study provided genetic data and participated in two waves of behavioral and parenting assessments. Parenting behaviors were measured using a composite index of harsh, inconsistent, and low-nurturance parenting. ASB was assessed through self- and parent-reported measures of delinquency, aggression, and conduct problems. The study tested whether individual …

Psychedelics And Psychosis: An Interdisciplinary Re-Examination, Haley Maria Dourron

All ETDs from UAB

Psychedelics have long been described as potential drug models of psychosis. There is also concern that psychedelics might worsen psychotic symptoms in individuals with a history of psychotic disorders. This dissertation examines the overlap between psychedelic-induced states and non-affective psychotic disorders (NAPD) from both subjective and neurological perspectives, as well as the perceived impact of psychedelic use in people with a history of NAPD. Nineteen people with a history of NAPD who had used psychedelics were interviewed about their experiences. Participants generally described psychedelic and psychotic experiences as distinct, though both affected similar experiential domains, such as sensory alterations. Altered …

Coping Self-Efficacy, Acculturation, Gender, Socioeconomic Status, And Perceived Discrimination As Predictors Of Depression Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Olatunde O. Osibote

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerian immigrants represent one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States. Relocating to a new country can be a major source of stress, often increasing individuals’ vulnerability to mental health challenges. While considerable research has examined predictors of depression in the general population and among certain immigrant groups, limited attention has been given to these factors in the context of Nigerian immigrants in the U.S. This study aimed to address that gap by applying Berry’s acculturation theory to investigate predictors of depression within this population. A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational survey design was used to examine whether acculturation, socioeconomic …

Sex-Specific Associations Between Early Life Unpredictability And Trajectories Of Body Mass Index From Infancy To Adolescence, Emily M. Melnick, Lilybelle K. Deer, Jenalee R. Doom, Hal S. Stern, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn, Elysia P. Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective:

Unpredictability in early life is an understudied aspect of early life adversity that provides important signals to the child about their environment. Recent work shows the predictability of patterns of parental signals on a moment-to-moment timescale sculpts the developing brain during sensitive windows, offering a potential pathway through which early life experiences shape child development. Both experimental non-human animal models and observational human research show sex-specific links between early life exposure to unpredictable patterns of parental sensory signals and aberrant offspring development. The impact of predictability of sensory signals on physical health outcomes, such as BMI, remains unknown. Here …

Dynamical Regulation Of Blood Pressure And Cognitive Function, Joshua Sweigert, Tara Gruenewald, Margie Lachman, Teresa Seeman, Maxine Weinstein, Tse-Hwei Choo, Martina Pavlicova, Ramakrishna Mukkamala, Richard P. Sloan

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure (BP) is not steady. It varies over intervals from months to consecutive cardiac cycles, and this variation contains meaningful information beyond mean BP. Variability over multiple clinic visits (VVV-BP) and during 24-h ambulatory monitoring (ABPV) is positively related to risk of stroke and coronary artery disease and negatively associated with cognitive performance. Beat-to-beat BP variation, often quantified as low frequency variability (0.04–0.15 Hz, LF-BPV), is less well-studied. Here, we examine the relationship between LF-BPV and cognitive outcomes in 1953 participants from the Midlife in the US study.

METHODS

Participants completed the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by …

Youth And Parent Knowledge And Perceptions Of Spina Bifida: Associations With Neurocognitive Factors, Self-Management, And Quality Of Life, Olivia Emery Clark

Dissertations

Spina bifida (SB) is a common congenital birth defect with multiple and varied medical, physical, and psychological impacts. The objective of these studies is to examine youth and parent condition-related knowledge in the context of SB and associations with executive function, quality of life, and medical self-management. Collectively, these studies examine both qualitative and quantitative multi-informant data from youth with SB, their parents, and their teachers. The first study used growth analyses to examine changes in condition-related knowledge over time, predicted by executive dysfunction and inattention, and predictive of medical self-management skills. The second study used qualitative coding methods to …

An Investigation Of Sex-Specific Effects Of Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Receptor Signaling In Persistent Reward Seeking Under Punishment, Anna Caroline Toburen

Theses and Dissertations

Addiction involves persistent reward-seeking behavior despite adverse outcomes, with the nucleus accumbens (NAc) critically mediating motivation and cost-benefit decision-making. Dopamine (DA)-responsive neurons in the NAc, specifically D1 and D2 receptors within the NAc are crucial in encoding motivated behavior. However, the specific role of D1/D2 receptors in driving reward-seeking under punishment remains unclear. Preliminary findings suggest a sex-specific effect, with females exhibiting greater sensitivity to the suppressive effects of footshock on natural reward-seeking compared to males. We investigated the differential roles of NAc D1/D2 receptors in modulating reward-seeking behavior under punishment, with a focus on potential sex-specific effects. Using a …

Alerted And Anxious? The Effects Of Mobile Crime Alerts On Perceptions Of Personal And Public Safety, Amanda C. Benjamin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mobile crime alert platforms promise to enhance personal and public safety by delivering frequent notifications about nearby dangers—claims that, until now, have not been experimentally tested. For-profit applications like Citizen deliver real-time, geo-targeted push notifications about nearby crime incidents to over 9 million users, often operating outside the bounds of institutional oversight. Although marketed as tools to enhance awareness and protection, these platforms may simultaneously empower users through information while also potentially amplifying anxiety, heightening threat perceptions, and eroding trust in community. Despite their increasing prominence and integration into public safety communications, the psychological and behavioral impacts of mobile crime …

Consumption Of Negative Media Content Mediates The Association Between Levels Of Trauma Exposure And Insomnia Severity In Hispanic Young Adults, Michiyo Hirai, Laura L. Vernon

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Research has shown that individuals who have experienced traumatic events are at greater risk of developing severe insomnia than those without trauma. Further, according to the stress sensitization hypothesis, victims of multiple traumas, compared to those who have experienced a single trauma, are particularly vulnerable to severe insomnia. One potential mechanism underlying the association between trauma experiences and insomnia is media exposure. Although avoidance behaviors are symptoms of posttraumatic stress, victims of traumas also demonstrate attentional bias toward threats and difficulty disengaging attention from threats. These cognitive tendencies may result in heightened vigilance to negative media content, particularly trauma-related content, …

Examining The Influence Of Encoding And Retrieval Contexts On 2- To 4-Year-Olds' Acquisition Of Nouns And Verbs, Piper Swearengin, Patrick Mihalicz, Leah Marsh, Zoe Baker, Faith Perry, Susan A. Graham, Jane B. Childers

Psychology Faculty Research

This study investigates whether the context in which a word is learnt affects noun and verb learning. There is mixed evidence in studies of noun learning, and no studies of background perceptual context in verb learning. Two-, three-, and four-year-olds (n = 162) saw a novel object moved in a novel way while hearing four novel words, either nouns or verbs. They were asked to generalize the word to a similar action or object shown in the same or different context. Results demonstrate that 2- and 3-year-olds were more accurate at test when learning nouns than verbs, demonstrating that verb …

Socio-Technical Exchange With Machines: Worker Experiences With Complex Work Technologies, Cameron W. Piercy, Reaia Turner-Leatherman

Human-Machine Communication

Machines are now commonplace work partners and Human-Machine Communication (HMC) is part of modern work. Guided by the machine heuristic and Social Exchange Theory (SET) this paper uses interviews with 22 workers to explore the socio-technical relationships between humans and machines at work. Participants worked with complex machines across a wide variety of industries and roles and findings reveal participants see machines as part of the work ecosystem, develop everyday machine heuristics to guide repeated interactions with machines, and that elements of human uniqueness persist in evaluations of humans and machines. Discussion points emphasize situated and developing human-machine interaction scripts, …

Parental Internet Mediation: A Phenomenological Study, Jossie Marino-Vega

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental Internet mediation, which is the strategies parents use to control and supervise online content for children, has been transformed into a critical role due to the mixed outcomes of digital use. Baumrind's parental styles and Bandura's Social frameworks guide this study for its connection with parental mediation and children's learning. This qualitative research aimed to explore and describe how parents mediate and use the Internet concerning kids' development. Eleven mothers were interviewed with at least one student enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade at an elementary school in Killeen, Texas. The data was analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) modification of …

Is The Misdiagnosis Of Adhd And The Use Of Ritalin Related To Delinquent Behaviors And Problems With Social Anxiety Disorder In Young Boys?, Michael A. Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses are increasing at a rapid rate. Young boys are known to be very energetic, inattentive, and lack the attention needed to function well in school or other venues, and based on these attributes, they often have a higher rate of diagnosis of ADHD than girls. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, comparative study was to assess the validity of retrospectively examining ADHD misdiagnosis and associated Ritalin use. Specifically, how proposed childhood misdiagnosis of ADHD was related to delinquent behaviors and social anxiety in adolescence and adulthood was examined. Results showed over half of the participants (n …

Sleep, Emotion Regulation, And Relationship Satisfaction: A Moderation Analysis, Lakyn Boone

Doctoral Dissertations

Sleep plays a pivotal role in overall health and well-being, influencing mental health, cognitive abilities, memory, emotional balance, and physical well-being (Luyster et al., 2012; Mukherjee et al., 2015). Emotions constitute a natural and indispensable element of human existence but necessitate proper regulation, as any disruption in emotion control has been associated with various mental health disorders (Gross & Jazaieri, 2014; Kring & Gordon, 1998; Phelps, 2006). Furthermore, human connections and relationships are fundamental aspects of the human experience, contributing to emotional support, personal growth, a sense of belonging, and even influencing one's physical health outcomes (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; …

Trainee Countertransference And Competency In Bereavement Therapy: Strengths And Limitations Of The Wounded Healers, Meghan Paynter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Countertransference is a common experience in therapy, happening among clinicians of all stages of their career and the outcomes of this experience hinge largely on how countertransference is managed. Challenging topics, such as grief, only make countertransference harder to manage effectively and the management of this experience improves with practice and time—something trainees have not yet ascertained. Given the pervasiveness of grief as a human experience, also indiscriminate in nature, the experiences of trainees experiencing countertransference are important to understand, including what is experienced, how they experience it, and how it impacts their process and self-perception of confidence and competence …

Perceptions Of Pain And Benzodiazepine Use Interrelations: A Qualitative Study, Emma Carnes Lape

Dissertations - ALL

Growing concern and research attention have focused on potential harms associated with widespread use of benzodiazepine (BZD) medications. Individuals with chronic pain bear a disproportionate burden, characterized by higher rates of BZD prescriptions, longer-term use, and increased dependence compared to the general population. Although theory and emerging evidence suggest that pain may play a role in the maintenance of BZD use, there is no extant data describing how individuals perceive interrelations between their pain and BZD use. The aims of the present study were to conduct a thematic analysis of interview data regarding perceptions of interrelationships between pain and BZD …

Smartphone Attachment In Emerging Adults : Impacts On Mental Health Through Basic Psychological Needs, Jialin Xiao

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

In the digital era, smartphones have become integral to daily life, fulfilling various emotional needs. Mirroring human attachment, past studies have found people can develop three types of attachment to smartphone: secure (comfortable, dependable connection), anxious (intense emotional reliance with separation anxiety) and avoidant (preference for independence from one’ s phone) attachment. However, little is known about how these types of smartphone attachment relate to mental health over time. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the relationship between smartphone attachment and mental health is unknown. To fill these gaps, based on the attachment theory, this study examined the longitudinal associations between smartphone …

Housewerk: How Drag Performers Engage In Emotional Labor While Navigating Community Care, Steph O. Landeros

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines drag performance as a form of service labor shaped by emotional labor, community care, and identity-based inequality. Drawing on interviews with drag performers shows how drag labor blends artistic skill, emotional regulation, interpersonal care, and entrepreneurial labor. While these demands mirror service sector roles in other industries, drag remains underrecognized and undervalued, particularly for performers who do not conform to white, cisgender norms. The study introduces Housewerk—an adaptation of Marlon Bailey’s concept of housework (Bailey, 2013)—to describe the mix of paid and unpaid labor drag performers engage in. Housewerk captures how performers must balance self-preservation (branding, income, …

Exploring The Processing Of Objects, Settings, And Global Properties In Natural Auditory Scenes, Margaret A. Mcmullin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our auditory system has a remarkable ability to make sense of complex environments, allowing us to identify what we are hearing and where sounds come from. This process of auditory scene analysis is essential for situational awareness, decision-making, and effective communication in daily life. While much is known about how listeners segregate and identify individual sound sources (e.g., voices), less is understood about how global properties of a scene (e.g., openness, naturalness) contribute to perception. This dissertation examined how object- and setting-level information in natural auditory scenes are processed, and whether they rely on distinct or overlapping mechanisms. In Experiment …

The Lived Experiences Of Clinically Licensed Counselors During Covid-19, Deirdre F. Haynes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be an equal opportunity crisis. There is substantial research to better understand how individuals have reacted to crisis experiences like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the lived experiences of clinically licensed counselors during COVID-19. This gap in the literature is important because the increase in the number of individuals seeking counseling to deal with their fears and concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have put a strain on counselors that were also experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to bridge the …

Gamete Size Is Essential For Understanding Sex And Sexual Selection In Humans, Animals, Plants, And Algae But Configurations Of Sex-Linked Traits Are Practically Important For Understanding Sex, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

"First, I briefly highlight recent discussions of sex and how they contrast with a gametic central understanding of sex in the executive order. I then provide some background on why gametes have been central to defining sex across species in evolutionary biological sciences. Understanding this perspective is important because it helps understand the competing frames people are using when they talk of sex as binary instead of as a spectrum or a multidimensional configuration of traits. The gametic central framing is essential for understanding sex and sexual selection across species, whereas the multidimensional configuration framing is practically useful in medical, …

Paradoxical Forms Of Scientific Heroism When Responsibly Conducting Research, Theresa A. Thorkildsen

Heroism Science

The Stanford Prison Experiment is widely known for offering insight into the responsible conduct of research as well as how prisoners and prison guards fall easily into potentially harmful roles. As the principal investigator of the study, Philip Zimbardo became a polarizing figure in the social sciences -- both celebrated as a pioneering hero and criticized for ethical shortcomings -- while consistently engaging with his critics throughout his career (Zimbardo, n.d.). Highlighting Zimbardo’s influence on the protection of human research participants, this article uses details from Zimbardo’s self-reflections and insights on the paradoxes of heroism to convey how research personalities …

The Protective Role Of Resilience In Indirect Aggression Perpetration And Victimization, Amelia Klass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between resilience and indirect aggression, specifically relational and social aggression, utilizing a sample of 104 females aged 18–22. Indirect aggression, characterized by behaviors such as social exclusion, gossip, and manipulation, is associated with significant emotional and interpersonal difficulties. Using a theoretical basis that includes gender schema theory, social learning theory, and social information processing theory, this study investigates whether resilience has a significant relationship in both the perpetration of and victimization through the use of indirect aggression. Participants completed self-report measures, including the Adult Resilience Measure – Revised and the Young Adult Social Behavior Scales …

Eco-Emotions And Climate Activism In Adolescents, Julianna Sahoo

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background. Youth are especially vulnerable to climate change, both physically and psychologically. Combatting climate change will require a coordinated, global effort. Understanding the motivations and emotions behind climate activism is essential to coordinate efforts to combat climate change.

Methods. This research uses survey data collected from first and second year undergraduates (n=521) at a private, urban university in California in the Fall of 2022. Youth were surveyed on emotions related to climate change, activism, compassion, eco-anxiety, and well-being.

Results. Experiencing positive emotions had a stronger relationship with environmental activism compared to negative emotions.

Conclusion. Results suggest climate change communications should …

Understanding Biological Behavior 2nd Edition, Emily Marler

Open Educational Resources Collection

Understanding Biological Behavior, 2nd Edition, compiled by Emily Marler in collaboration with UMSL Libraries, is a Open Educational Resource (OER) that offers free access to an engaging exploration of where biology and psychology intersect. As an openly licensed textbook, it removes financial barriers to quality education while helping students understand how our biological systems directly influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

The web version of this text can be found at https://umsystem.pressbooks.pub/ubb2e/

This resource systematically progresses through twelve carefully structured units that build upon each other to create a complete understanding of biological psychology. Beginning with fundamental concepts of nerve …

A Multi-Measurement Study Of The Relation Between Deliberation And Volition, Guillaume P. Pech, Emilie A. Caspar, Elisabeth Pacherie, Axel Cleeremans, Uri Maoz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Historically, voluntary action and volition more generally have been investigated through the lens of meaningless decisions. Importantly, these findings have been used in the debate about key notions like free will and moral responsibility. However, more recent claims have challenged the possibility of generalizing findings from a meaningless context to a more meaningful one. The current study investigates the markers of volition, specifically comparing meaningful and meaningless decisions. In an effort to maximize their monetary gain, 50 participants repeatedly deliberated between two options, making either rewarded choices—hard-deliberation decisions (where the options differed along two dimensions) or easy-deliberation decisions (where the …

Working Memory In Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Of Structural And Functional Brain Differences, Eunji Back

Master's Theses

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the US and is characterized by depressed mood and loss of interest. Many MDD patients also experience difficulties with executive function, including working memory. Neuroimaging studies reveal structural and functional brain differences between MDD patients and healthy controls that may underlie these working memory difficulties, but findings have been mixed. A quantitative synthesis of neuroimaging data through a meta-analytic approach offers a promising avenue to identify commonalities across studies. We conducted separate meta?analyses of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, with the latter focused …