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A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Self-Help Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Perfectionism, Emily M. Bowers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many college students are struggling with perfectionism, a tendency to set extremely high standards for themselves, which can lead to stress and dissatisfaction. We looked at whether self-help books based on two different types of therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can help reduce unhelpful perfectionism. We looked at how well ACT and CBT self-help books worked for reducing perfectionism, compared to students who did not receive either book. College students in the study completed surveys at the beginning, halfway through, after finishing the book, and again one month later. We found that students who …

A Systematic Review Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In Sub-Saharan Africa: Understanding The Cultural Adaptations, Miriam N. Mukasa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy that helps people handle difficult thoughts and feelings by staying present, accepting what they cannot control, and focusing on what truly matters to them. Despite its growing global popularity, the implementation and effectiveness of ACT in sub-Saharan Africa remains underexplored.

We evaluated the current evidence on the application, effectiveness, and cultural adaptation of ACT in sub-Saharan Africa, identifying gaps and providing recommendations for future research.

18 unique studies that met the inclusion criteria were found. Studies on improving athletic performance were the most common, with ACT also being evaluated for …

The Impact Of Visually Presented Distractor Taboo Words During A Bilateral Attention Task, Chloe Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Attention is a limited resource. Some events are able to capture one’s attention more efficiently than others, such as swear or sexual words. These events have preferential access to attentional resources and increase our arousal levels due to the activity of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. We investigate how well swear/sexual words capture peoples’ attention and interpret these effects in terms of norepinephrine activity.

Participants performed a visual task where they responded to different shapes presented while ignoring neutral or swear/sexual words presented on opposing sides of the computer screen.

Participants were significantly more inaccurate in identifying the shape present when …

Women Leaders In Healthcare: Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Kuan-Yin T. Timothee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and job satisfaction among women in nonclinical leadership roles within the U.S. healthcare sector. As healthcare organizations adapt to technological, social, and economic transformations, they must increase their focus on cultivating EI and promoting OCB, especially in leadership roles (Bowling & Sessa, 2021; Herr et al., 2022; Marstand et al., 2021). Additionally, research has shown that EI facilitates business development and diminishes obstacles to organizational sustenance. Although prior research has established a link between EI and OCB, there is …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Christian Women With Having Absent Fathers: A Phenomenological Study Of Identity, Self-Esteem, And The Christian Faith, Catherine L. Newsome

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 10 Black Christian women with absent fathers during childhood and adolescence. Using convenience sampling, these women were recruited through Facebook, TikTok, and email recruitment at Liberty University. The study’s criteria for participation were: (1) Black Christian women 18 years of age or older, (2) raised in a fatherless home during childhood and adolescence, and (3) raised with no stepfather in the home during childhood and adolescence. The study's findings revealed that the participants experienced a void due to the absence of a father figure, the lack of a father’s provision, and …

Understanding Change Following Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Phenomenological Study, Melina K. Bricker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The field of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is growing and broadening, with significant implications for treatment-resistant behavioral health disorders for which traditional therapies have limited impact. Determining the efficacy of such treatments with populations seeking relief from trauma-related chronic behaviors must include an understanding of trauma’s complex impact on regulatory functioning, the perceptual and functional changes experienced as a result of PAT, and implications for future research in addressing trauma-related treatment resistance. To understand the phenomenon of change, questions of motivation, experience, and outcomes in this treatment type must be understood. In this qualitative phenomenological study, 10 patients at a ketamine-assisted …

Shame, Identity And Reconciliation With Christ, Michele D. Corgiat

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of reconciliation with Christ on shame narratives and identity. Although shame and identity has been extensively researched, the added theological construct of reconciliation with Christ makes this research unique. This phenomenological study explored the impact of reconciliation with Christ on shame narratives and identity. Sixteen participants, ages 20 to 75 years, who professed to have reconciled with Christ through faith and repentance, were selected and interviewed. Each participant was interviewed three times over a four-week period using a transcendental phenomenological method. Data were collected and analyzed using reflexive thematic …

Lived Experiences Of Older Adults After Involuntary Work Separation, Mark Mallock Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of those subjected to involuntary work separation at age 50+ in the United States. The literature concerning involuntary job loss is lacking in research pertaining to the 50+ age demographic. This research is important in the aspect that older workers face specific challenges that their younger counterparts may not after involuntary work separation. Understanding the psychological responses, positive aspects, and negative aspects of involuntary job separation in older adults added to the literature for those aged 50+. The research design was qualitative inquiry using virtual recorded interviewing …

Effects Of Reflective Journaling And Nudges On Academic Motivation And Engagement, Lakshmi Satya Sai Veda Mahita Uppuluri

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of reflective journaling and motivational nudges on academic motivation and engagement among college students. Grounded in Self- Determination Theory (SDT), the research examines how different interventions influence intrinsic motivation, and academic behaviors such as class attendance, participation, and preparation. The study employed a between-group experimental design with three conditions: a control group, a journaling group, and a journaling group that also received daily motivational nudges. Results showed that students in the journaling groups—particularly those who received nudges—experienced a significant increase in academic motivation. While changes in academic engagement were not significant, the effect size suggested …

Effects & Buffering Of Ai-Induced Career Insecurity Among University Students, Skyler Grunberg

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) development psychologically impacts students' perception of their future careers. Adopting a cross-sectional design, 137 university students were surveyed to investigate the relationship between AI-induced future career insecurity, well-being, work engagement, and career decision-making self- efficacy (CDMSE). AI-induced career insecurity (AICI) was found to be significantly below the neutral midpoint in university students. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the item structure of AICI, finding a hierarchical model incorporating both core and wording factors was best fit. Findings indicate AICI is significantly negatively related to well-being, work engagement, and CDMSE. Though insignificant, resilience …

Exploring Potential Correlation Of Resiliency And Multifamily Support With Psychological Distress Among Hispanic Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Eliz Marie Centeno Ortiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were found to have lower psychological distress in comparison with other ethnicities or races despite having additional challenges such as immigration issues, language barriers, or others. However, research on why Hispanic parents of children with ASD tend to have less psychological distress is lacking. This study addressed the extent to which multifamily support and resiliency affect psychological distress among parents of children with ASD, as explained by the family system theory. For this study, 75 Hispanic parents of children with ASD were recruited via Facebook posts. The participants were directed to …

Academic And Cerebrovascular Outcomes After Neurodevelopmental Screening In Sickle Cell Disease: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, Sarah E. Bills, Jeffrey Schatz, Elizabeth Gillooly, Julia D. Johnston, A. Lauren Waters, Alyssa M. Schlenz

Faculty Publications

Aim

To assess the predictive validity of neurodevelopmental screening in toddlers and preschool children with sickle cell disease (SCD) using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). We expected screening in preschool children to predict academic problems in elementary school and future stroke risk.

Method

Using a longitudinal cohort design, academic problems (e.g. grade retention, failing a subject) and increases in stroke risk (e.g. abnormal transcranial Doppler exam) were assessed for a 6-year period after neurodevelopmental screening in 2-year-olds (‘toddlers’) and 4-year-olds (‘preschool children’) using medical record review, which included annual information from parents about school functioning. Biopsychosocial variables were examined …

Living And Dying With Rats (Essay), Trent Mcfury

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

It is unlikely that a dystopian work would begin with, “Rats have not been seen for centuries, even in Venice.” [...]

Although many species disturb our peace, destroy our crops, and/or are outright dangerous, the eco-existential scaling of a rat (and mice), broonie or pixie-like, makes it a convenient analogical and projective emblem of invasion and subsequent extermination. That which abundantly reproduces, keenly clusters, transforms our bodies, challenges our wits, follows and then remains, travels and then stays, is also a psyche-mirror.

Wais-Iv Index And Full Scale Intelligence Quotient Score Differences Between Standard And Prorated Scoring Methods, Traci Wimberly Olivier, Charles Golden, Amarilis Acevedo, Victoria I. Sterk, Kristina M. Espinosa, Kayla M. Spengler

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Standard scoring methods for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) require that all core subtests be used to compute index scores, yet it is possible to prorate certain indices using a reduced number of subtests. The purpose of this study is to explore differences in WAIS-IV Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, and Full Scale IQ Index scores as a result of using standard versus prorated scoring methods. Participants were 149 adults, ages 18 to 84 who were previously administered the WAIS-IV. Protocols were scored using standard scoring methods and then re-scored using each alternate proration combination for Verbal Comprehension, …

Michael Rutter, Benjamin Lowry, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Michael Rutter was born August 15th, 1933 to Winifred and Llewellyn Rutter in Lebanon, where his father was working as a doctor. He returned with his parents to England when he was 3-years-old. In 1940, at the age of 6-years-old, Rutter and his younger sister were evacuated to North America due to fear of German invasion of the British Isles. He and his sister were taken in by different families in the United States and only living together a few months near the end of their four year stay abroad. Rutter denied feeling separated from his parents during his stay …

Ethnic Identity Formation (In A Changing World), Kerrie S. Devries, Jonathan B. Santo

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Ethnic identity is a multidimensional construct with varied and changing definitions. Psychologist Jean Phinney (2000, 2003) broadly defines ethnic identity as “an enduring, fundamental aspect of the self that includes a sense of membership in an ethnic group and the attitudes and feelings associated with that group membership.”  Typically, members of ethnic groups will share a similar culture, religion, language, race, values, or place of origin.  As individuals become aware of their ethnicity in the context of their surroundings, ethnic identity develops and changes over time.  Ethnic identity has been shown to impact a broad range of an individual’s feelings, …

David F. Bjorklund, Rhonda Douglas Brown

Essays in Developmental Psychology

David F. Bjorklund is an eminent scholar in the field of developmental psychology.  He was born on June 13, 1949 in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1971.  His graduate degrees include a master’s in psychology from the University of Dayton in 1973 and a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002.  He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2015.  Bjorklund is currently a Professor of …

Heinz Werner, Ethan Fleuchaus, Katie Cunningham, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Heinz Werner (February 11, 1890 – May 14, 1964) was an Austrian psychologist who played an active role in defining the field of developmental psychology at the start of the 20th century. While initially seeking to become a composer and music historian, he changed his mind after listening to a lecture on Immanuel Kant at the University of Vienna. Werner became engrossed in topics of philosophy and psychology (which were combined at the time), and he wrote his dissertation on the psychology of aesthetic experiences. Subsequently he worked at the University of Hamburg, where he published the first edition of …

Childbirth Approaches, Michael Galobardi, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

There are various approaches to childbirth, apart from the typical approach of vaginal delivery (e.g., typically done in a hospital). Another approach is a cesarean, which can classified as either an emergency or planned procedure. In the case where an emergency cesarean is needed a vaginal birth would have been detrimental to health of the mother and/or the fetus. A planned cesarean is requested ahead of time due to medical indication or requested by the mother. When requested by the mother the delivery is considered an elective surgical procedure, since it was requested without any medical or obstetrical indication. Cesareans …

Caregivers’ Satisfaction With And Perceived Cultural Sensitivity Of A Modification Of A Child Injury Prevention Program For Spanish-Speaking Families, Karen Padilla

Honors Theses

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Caregivers play a critical role in reducing children’s risk of injury by adopting appropriate supervision behaviors and engaging in safety-proofing practices. The Supervising for Home Safety (SHS) program is a video-based intervention developed to increase caregiver supervision for children ages 2–5 by targeting beliefs about injury vulnerability, injury preventability, and self-efficacy for implementing safety precautions. While SHS has demonstrated effectiveness in English-speaking populations, no research has examined its adaptation and impact among Spanish-speaking caregivers. This study aimed to examine caregivers perceived cultural sensitivity and satisfaction with …

Maria Montessori, Vanessa Braun, Donna Devaughn Kreskey

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Maria Tecla Artemesia Montessori (born August 31, 1870, Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy – died May 6, 1952, Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands) was an Italian educator.  She is commonly remembered for the many schools around the globe that bear her name and implement her educational methods, the Montessori system. Maria Montessori was a scientist, educator, activist, and advocate for children.

Writing Skills: The Essentials, Gina Braun

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Writing Skills are an essential component of communicating and develop over time. It does not matter the intention of writing, it is a skill used daily, and we must prepare our students to have the adequate skills they will need to function as writers. Writing skills taught in school are focused on academic writing, which should transfer and generalize across settings. Writing skills take on different forms with a variety of levels of importance. The necessary writing skills needed include; the writing process, which is supported by, mechanics, writing for a variety of purposes, and finally, building technological skills.

James Marcia - Identity Status, L. Nicole Hammons

Essays in Developmental Psychology

James E. Marcia is known for his research on identity development in late adolescence, specifically his identification of four identity statuses.  He was born on February 10, 1937 in Cleveland Ohio.  He was an only child and describes his family as to a stable, lower middle- to middle-class family.  Spending his childhood in Columbus, Ohio, Marcia enjoyed tennis, drama, speech, and music (he played both piano and trombone).  After exploring history, English, and philosophy, Marcia earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.  He also received master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University, both in …

Infant Speech Perception And Babbling, Brian Schanding

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Much work in the study of early life speech perception centers on an infant’s ability to discriminate sounds. Studies rely on an infant’s reactions to spoken language, measured by various physical and biometric responses, as evidence of an infant’s ability to perceive distinct spoken sounds. Studies have identified a number of characteristics of human speech, termed cues, which infants have demonstrated they can recognize.

Temperament, Aya Shigeto

Essays in Developmental Psychology

John Locke, an English philosopher, stated that all babies come to the world with a blank slate or tabula rasa, ready to absorb everything that their outside world has to offer. Behaviorists like John B. Watson similarly advocated the power of nurture (i.e., learning) and disregarded the contribution of nature (i.e., biology, genetics) to human development. Researchers today agree that babies are born with unique characteristics called temperament and that these individual differences in behavior, affect, and attention are believed to have genetic and biological bases. However, researchers also agree that temperament is not immune to environmental influences. In other …

Uta Frith, Morgan Uberti, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Uta Frith (born Aurnhammer on May 25, 1941) is a German psychologist best known for her work on autism. After graduating in experimental psychology from the University of Saarland, she pursued her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry at the King’s College London, UK. It was during a course in abnormal psychology when she first encountered children diagnosed with autism. Experimental studies by Neil O’Connor and Beate Hermelin intrigued her, especially for applying an experimental perspective to the study of developmental disorders. Based on these experiences, Frith designed experiments that sought to shed light on atypical cognitive processes. Upon obtaining …

Intelligence Testing, Holly Van Duzer, Donna Devaughn Kreskey

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Intelligence tests are tools used by psychologists to objectively measure an individual’s cognitive ability and prior knowledge. The administration, scoring and interpretation of intelligence tests are conducted by trained professionals to ensure standardized administration and appropriate use of the resulting test scores. Intelligence testing measures an individual’s current intellectual functioning, to diagnose an intellectual disability, and to diagnose specific learning disabilities, among other reasons. However, societal concerns and controversies surround the acceptance and use of intelligence testing.

Paper Or Digital? Comparing Vocabulary Learning From Internet Search To A Physical Dictionary, Olivia L. Hamilton

Honors Theses

There is an increasing presence of technology found in the educational environment. With that there are many questions about the effectiveness of learning when information can be re-accessed with the click of a mouse. Information is more accessible than ever online but expecting to be able to rely on the internet may make learning less effective than other learning methods, such as paper. Continuing research has shown deficits, which could imply a digital presence is harming the learning environment. 125 students completed this study which compared differences between paper versus online learning platforms. The study tested peoples word translation accuracy …

Supporting Doctoral Research In Aging: From Exercise Barriers To Geropsychology Competencies, Alexandra Crites

Honors Theses

This thesis explored hands-on experiences supporting ongoing research in behavioral gerontology, addressing the growing need for individualized interventions, and improving professional training to meet the complex needs of aging populations. Through involvement in two primary studies—one examining exercise nonadherence in people with osteoarthritis (OA) and another developing competency standards for professionals entering geropsychology. I contributed to data analysis, research design, and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative literature. My work with Haley Hughes’ study included developing a comprehensive data table that mapped participant responses from focus groups and identifying nuanced themes related to barriers and facilitators for physical activity. For …

2025 Acssc Program, Acssc Planning Committee

Annual Celebration for Student Scholarship and Creativity

No abstract provided.