Digital Commons Network^™

Training Of Observers In Risk Rituals Of The Manasa Sect Of Hinduism And Serpent Handling Sects Of Appalachia, Christopher Silver

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study proposes to examine observer attitudes. Any ritual action that has the potential for injury or death, will be coined a religious risk ritual (RR). Observers will examine examples of video from the Manasa Hindu tradition in India and the Pentecostal and Holiness Serpent Handling traditions (SHS) of the southern Appalachian Mountain region of the United States. While training had no overall effect, study participants perceived the Manasa religious ritual as being more legitimate than the SHS religious ritual. Participants accepted of existence of a religious risk ritual cross-culturally but were biased against it in the southeastern United States.

Family: Variations And Changes Across Cultures, James Georgas

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In order to study psychological phenomena cross-culturally, it is necessary to understand the different types of family in cultures throughout the world and also how family types are related to cultural features of societies. This article discusses: The definitions and the structure and functions of family; the different family types and relationships with kin; the ecocultural determinants of variations of family types, e.g, ecological features, means of subsistence, political and legal system, education and religion; changes in family in different cultures; the influence of modernization and globalization on family change throughout the world.

Young Childrens' Understanding Of Superstitions, Kara Yeckering

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The aim of this study was to examine young children's understanding of superstitions—specifically bad luck superstitions. Children between the ages of 4 and 9 received a set of interview questions concerning their experiences with superstitions, their beliefs about the efficacy of superstitions, and their knowledge of the mental and physical components of superstitions. Participants also completed a belief task designed to assess the relative importance of belief and action in superstitions. The findings indicate developmental patterns in children's awareness of superstitions and beliefs in efficacy of superstitions. With age, children demonstrated a significantly greater awareness of superstitions. In contrast, children …

Academic Persistence Among Native American College Students, Aaron P. Jackson, Steven A. Smith, Curtis L. Hill

Faculty Publications

Qualitative interviews with 15 successful Native American college students who grew up on reservations identified the following themes related to their persistence in college: (a) family support, (b) structured social support, (c) faculty/staff warmth, (d) exposure to college and vocations, (e) developing independence and assertiveness, (f) reliance on spiritual resources, (g) dealing with racism, (h) nonlinear path, and (i) paradoxical cultural pressure. The results indicated a need for stable mentoring relationships and programmatic support.

Not Thinking Like A Nonlawyer: Implications Of "Recogonization" For Legal Education, Robert J. Morris

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Homeland Security Policy: Deportment On Deportation, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides commentary on the appropriateness of deporting illegal aliens in support of homeland security policy.

Alex Bradley, Carl Milofsky

Northern Ireland Archive

Bradley is a psychotherapist based in a religious NGO. His talk primarily involves general comments and observations about the events of Bloody Sunday, sectarian conflicts in general, and values statements from Bradley offered in response to student questions about the conflict in Northern Ireland. He continues to talk about the White Oak Center in Donegal, which is a residential treatment center that in this account it heavily concerned with treating alcohol abuse. The tape shifts to talk about Bradley's work treating trauma experiences related to the Troubles. He began working in the Catholic community but then was asked to work …

Are Asian Thinking Styles Different? Acculturation And Thinking Styles In A Chinese-Canadian Population, Jenny M. Tang

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This research examined the theory of mental self-government and its various thinking styles. The theory of mental self-government (Sternberg, 1988a) has established its utility in verbal contexts including education, occupation, partner choices, and cross-culturally. The Associated Thinking Style Inventory (TSI; Sternberg & Wagner, 1991; 1992) has also demonstrated its reliability and validity in a Hong Kong population (Zhang, 1999; Zhang & Lcks, 1997; Zhang & Sternberg, 1998), but it has not been used with Chinese-Canadians. It was hypothesized that as Chinese individuals become more acculturated to the North American cultural system, their thinking styles approach European-American norms. This study found …

The Psychometrics Of Student Evaluations Of Instructors And Courses At Eastern Michigan University, Thomas P. Proctor

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The study applied Classical Test Theory to the student evaluation forms for 25 departments to assess reliability. The study also applied Generalizability Theory to assess the reliability of the Psychology Department evaluation form. Regression analysis on the Psychology Department form assessed the effect of absolute expected grades on student ratings of teaching effectiveness and courses. The results show that the reliability of the 25 department forms is very high, exceeding .80 for each form. Generalizability theory indicates the Psychology Department form to be reliable for assessment of student ratings of the effectiveness of teaching but not necessarily of courses. Results …

Perceptions Of Cosmetic Alteration In Different Sized Attractive Women., Deborah Suzanne White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two experimental phases examined the characteristics impacting the physical attractiveness stereotype and a potential stereotype shift. From reading a description of a hypothetical target, Phase 1 of this study revealed that participants considered an overweight attractive woman significantly more likely to help a friend in need and significantly more likely to become a friend than an underweight attractive woman. These findings provide understanding of how particular stereotypes may provide social benefits. In Phase 2, knowledge of the woman's plans for liposuction, which was disclosed in a second description of the target, dramatically lowered the participants' evaluations of her physical attractiveness, …

Do You Know Your 50 States?, Katherine Friedhoff

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

When information is forgotten, sometimes a visual cue can act as a spark to cue your memory into remembering the lost facts. In this study, the task at hand is recalling as many of the 50 United States as possible. Twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned into two groups, where the first group’s task was free recall of the 50 states and the second group received a blank map of the states to test cued recall. This memory task may sound like an easy one but recalling the United States of America is tougher than participants imagined. However, there was …

Married Asian-Indian Women's Attitude Toward Divorce And Its Relationship To Acculturation In The United States, Kavita K. Ajmere

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between married predominantly Hindu Asian-Indian women's attitude toward divorce and their acculturation in the United States. The final data set included a total of 66 participants (33 first generation and 33 second generation). These participants were administered The Majority Minority Relations Survey (MMRS), the Attitudes Toward Divorce Questionnaire, and a Demographic Information Questionnaire. Results showed on average, first generation participants endorsed more conservative attitudes toward divorce, higher levels of perceived prejudice by the majority group, and higher level of language usage in their native Indian language. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that acculturation added 15% …

Gender Differences In Shopping Habits And Goals Of Shopping, Angela R. Merrell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

A review of the literature suggested there could be gender differences in the goals and shopping habits of consumers. The hypothesis is that female college students will take part in the activity of shopping for the sake of shopping while male college students will take part in the activity of shopping to purchase specific items. I tested this hypothesis by giving out questionnaires concerning one’s shopping habits and goals to volunteer undergraduate college students of both genders from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. The findings did support the hypothesis. Individual statistics from each question show support for gender differences. …

Spring 2003, Full Issue

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

Mediums And Media: Review Of Ghostwriting Modernism, By Helen Sword, And Haunted Media, By Jeffrey Sconce, Alan Clinton

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

What Do Police Officers Know About Eyewitness Memory? A Comparison Of Knowledge Between Eyewitness Experts And Police Investigators, Emily Dunlap

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In October of 1999 the United States Department of Justice published a set of guidelines to assist law enforcement in the collection of identification evidence. The purpose of the present study is to assess the knowledge possessed by police investigators about the Guidelines and other variables that can impact the accuracy of eyewitness memory. In the present study police investigators were given a questionnaire originally developed by Kassin, Tub, Hosch, and Memon (2001) for "experts" or psychologists, who were teachers and researchers in the area of eyewitness memory. By comparing the responses by police investigators with those provided by the …

Spiritual Directors And Clinical Psychologists: A Comparison Of Mental Health And Spiritual Values (Taken From Chapter 3 Of Spiritual Formation, Counseling, And Psychotherapy), Mark R. Mcminn, Nicholas C. Howard, Leslie D. Bissell, Sally R. Faries, Jeffrey B. Van Meter

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

We surveyed a total of 315 spiritual directors, psychologist members of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), and psychologist members of the American Psychological Association (APA) to determine their respective values on ten mental health themes derives from Jensen and Bergin (1988), and three spirituality scales drawn from the writings of John of the Cross. All three groups endorsed the value of expressing feelings, personal autonomy and maturity, and integrating work and leisure. CAPS psychologists and spiritual directors endorsed more than APA psychologists the values of spirituality, forgiveness, and the three John of the Cross scales. Spiritual directors reported …

An Integral Approach To Depression, Harris Friedman, Douglas A. Macdonald

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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The Perennial Philosophy, Axel Randrup

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

Minding Animals, Minding Earth: Science, Nature, Kinship, And Heart, Marc Bekoff

Sentience Collection

This paper emphasizes the importance of broadening behavioral, ecological, and conservation science into a more integrative, interdisciplinary, socially responsible, compassionate, spiritual, and holistic endeavor.2,3 I will stress the significance of studies of animal behavior, especially ethological research concerned with animal emotions, in which individuals are named and recognized for their own personalities and temperaments, for helping us not only to learn about the nonhuman animal beings (hereafter animals) with whom we share Earth, but also for learning about who we are, our place in Nature, our humanness. We can be best understood in relationship to others. I will also develop …

Experience, Culture And Reality: The Significance Of Fisher Information For Understanding The Relationship Between Alternative States Of Consciousness And The Structures Of Reality, Charles D. Laughlin, Jason C. Throop

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The majority of the world’s cultures encourage or require members to enter alternative states of

consciousness (ASC) while involved in religious rituals. The question is, why? This paper suggests

an explanation for the culturally prescribed ASC from the view of Fisher information. It argues

from the position, first put forward by Emile Durkheim in his magnum opus, The Elementary

Forms of the Religious Life, that all religions are grounded in reality. It suggests that many of the

structural elements of cultural cosmologies are similar and that the ritual induction of ASC may

help to bring individual experience into greater accord …

Organizing Madness: Psychiatric Nosology In Historical Perspective, Eric D. Jackson

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper traces the history of psychiatric nosology in the US from its origins in the early 19th century through the most recent revision of the standardized classification, DSM-IV TR. The evolution of nosology is found to be shaped not only by advances in knowledge, but also by socio-historic and professional trends. The initial impetus for systematic classification came from outside the mental health profession, but later revisions reflected intraprofessional struggles and experiences. Future revisions will almost certainly be prone to these same intra- and extraprofessional influences, and may see a dramatic shift away from symptomatology and towards an etiological …

Effects Of Cohabitation On Engaged Adult Relationships, Matthew W. Chingren

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Low premarital intimacy and less-than-realistic marital expectations have been shown to successfully predict lower marital satisfaction and success. This study used an independent groups design to investigate the effect of cohabitation on intimacy and marital expectations among engaged adult individuals. Group I (n=30) consisted of engaged individuals cohabiting with their fiances and Group II (n=82) included engaged individuals not cohabiting. Participants were obtained through a convenience sample. All participants provided demographic data and completed the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) and the Marriage Expectations Scale (MES). Previously married participants were excluded from MES analysis due to the nature …

Primal Spirituality And The Onto/Phylo Fallacy: A Critique Of The Claim That Primal Peoples Were/Are Less Spiritually And Socially Developed Than Modern Humans, Steven Taylor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Many theorists—including Freud, Habermas and Wilber—have suggested that there are strong

parallels between ontogeny and phylogeny, and that the development of the human species has

followed the same basic pattern as the development of the individual from birth to adulthood. I

discuss this view in relation to archaeological and anthropological knowledge of the world’s “primal

peoples.” I look at the spiritual, moral, and social development of primal peoples and find

that, in almost every instance, they are more advanced than these theorists suggest, possessing

characteristics which only occur—ontogenetically—at the higher “fulcrums” of development. I

argue that Wilber’s spectrum model cannot …

The Role Of Group Values In The Relationship Between Group Faultlines And Performance, Katerina Bezrukova, Karen A. Jehn

Psychology

This study explores the moderating effects of group values on the relationship between group faultlines and performance. Faultlines occur when group members align along two or more different demographic characteristics causing a group to split into homogeneous subgroups (adapted from Lau and Murnighan, 1998). We theorize and empirically examine three group values variables: career-, change-, and task-specificity. Analyses are performed on 81 work groups from a Fortune 500 information processing firm. Two levels of performance are considered in connection with group faultlines: individual performance (performance ratings) and group performance (bonuses and stock options). Our results provide support for our model …

Socialization Of Boys And Girls In Natural Contexts, Carolyn P. Edwards, Lisa Knoche, Asiye Kumru

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Socialization is the general process by which the members of a cultural community or society pass on their language, rules, roles, and customary ways of thinking and behaving to the next generation. Sex role socialization is one important aspect of this general process. The goals of earlier work were to understand how, why, and at what age girls and boys begin to vary behaviorally along such dimensions as "nurturance," "aggression," and "dependency," including determination of how sex-typical dispositions are influenced by cultural factors. This chapter presents a new approach seeking to answer such questions as the following. How are different …

Gender Differences Of College Students And Pathological Gambling, Richard Clyde Vantreece

Theses

Gender differences among college students and pathological gambling have been studied in the past by various researchers. The purpose of this study was to investigate which gender was more likely to be at risk for a pathological gambling disorder. This population is interesting for the purpose of this study because the majority of pathological gamblers report beginning this habit in adolescence. Fifty college students were selected from the Human Subject Research Pool Department. Students completed a demographic sheet and the South Oaks Gambling Screen. T-tests were done to compare the differences among the genders. The results showed no significant difference …

Scientific Empathy, American Buddhism, And The Ethnography Of Religion, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

The expansion of the use of ethnography in the study of religion has led to substantial methodological confusion. The reflexive ethnographic efforts which exist commonly appeal to the need for ethnographer empathy for field subjects, although the nature and ethical ramifications of this empathy remain poorly explored. This essay offers a model of ethnographic empathy in terms of the methodological observations of Weber, Homans, and Kohut. Using a model of empathy in terms of a reflexive “evenly hovering attention” for data collection, possible gains in the field from this model are explored. These gains include overcoming obstacles to data collection …

Review Of The Three Ecologies, By Felix Guattari, Matthew Wolf-Myer

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Dynamical Evolutionary Psychology: Individual Decision Rules And Emergent Social Norms, Douglas T. Kenrick, Norman P. Li, Jonathan Butner

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A new theory integrating evolutionary and dynamical approaches is proposed. Following evolutionary models, psychological mechanisms are conceived as conditional decision rules designed to address fundamental problems confronted by human ancestors, with qualitatively different decision rules serving different problem domains and individual differences in decision rules as a function of adaptive and random variation. Following dynamical models, decision mechanisms within individuals are assumed to unfold in dynamic interplay with decision mechanisms of others in social networks. Decision mechanisms in different domains have different dynamic outcomes and lead to different sociospatial geometries. Three series of simulations examining trade-offs in cooperation and mating …