Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceived Attractiveness Of Adult Facial Prototypes, Ashley Whittington '06

Honors Projects

This study investigated attractiveness ratings of individual faces and facial prototypes while controlling for symmetry. Symmetry was controlled by comparing symmetric individual faces to prototypes composed of 2, 4, 8, and 16 symmetric faces, morphed together by blending facial features such as eyes, nose, eyebrows, mouth, and outer contour. Adult male and female participants (N = 139, M age = 19.12 years) viewed stimuli presented on a computer monitor and rated the attractiveness of each facial stimuli on a 10 point scale, with higher values representing increased attractiveness. Results indicated that attractiveness ratings increased as the number of faces in …

Cognitive, Emotional, And Quality Of Life Outcomes In Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Joanne White, Ramona O. Hopkins, Eric G. Glissmeyer, Natalie Kitterman, C. Gregory Elliott

Faculty Publications

Background: The effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cardiovascular and physical function are well documented. Limited information exists regarding the effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cognitive function despite patient reports of problems with memory and attention. Our primary purpose was to determine if a prospectively identified cohort of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients had cognitive sequelae. Our secondary purpose was to determine the relationships between cognitive sequelae and neuropsychological test scores with depression, anxiety, and quality of life.

Methods: Forty-six adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension underwent assessment of cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and quality of life using standardized neuropsychological tests …

The Impact Of In-Service Training On Burnout At The Institute Of Public Administration, Maghram M. Al-Amri

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to assess the effects of training on burnout and job satisfaction by conducting pre- and post-tests of participants in various training programs provided by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). This study used a Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) modified survey. The results suggested that the burnout levels among trainees after the professional in-service training program were not significantly different from the burnout level before the professional in-service training. At the organizational level, the findings supported a relationship between burnout and promotion, departmental and organizational tenure, age, and changing jobs and organizations. This study provided some valuable …

Decision-Making Styles In A Real-Life Decision: Choosing A College Major, Kathleen M. Galotti, Elizabeth Ciner, Hope E. Altenbaumer, Heather J. Geerts, Allison Rupp, Julie Woulfe

Cognitive Science Faculty Work

Undergraduate students were surveyed at the beginning stages of a potentially life-framing decision: choosing a college major. We investigated the relationships among individual difference variables (decision-making styles, planning proclivities, and epistemological orientations), cognitive measures of performance (e.g., amount of information gathered and considered); and affective reactions to, and descriptive ratings of, the decision-making process. There were few significant relationships between individual differences and performance measures. However, there were significant relationships found between individual differences measures and affective reactions to, or descriptive ratings of, the decision-making process. We suggest that stylistic measures have their effects in the way individuals frame the …

Global And Local Processing In Adult Humans (Homo Sapiens), 5-Year Old Children (Homo Sapiens), And Adult Cotton Top Tamarins (Saguinus Oedipus), Julie J. Neiworth, Amy J. Gleichman, Anne S. Olinick, Kristen E. Lamb

Psychology Faculty Work

This study compared adults (Homo sapiens), young children (Homo sapiens), and adult tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) while they discriminated global and local properties of stimuli. Subjects were trained to discriminate a circle made of circle elements from a square made of square elements and were tested with circles made of squares and squares made of circles. Adult humans showed a global bias in testing that was unaffected by the density of the elements in the stimuli. Children showed a global bias with dense displays but discriminated by both local and global properties with sparse displays. Adult tamarins’ biases matched those of …

Developmental Needs Of Adolescents And Media, Laura M. Padilla-Walker

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Adolescence is marked by a number of physical, cognitive, and social changes that interact to create a number of developmental needs specific to this age group. As adolescents seek to define themselves independently of their parents, they often turn to media as sources of self-socialization and of messages about their identity in terms of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Although parents and peers remain influential during this transition, this entry focuses on adolescents’ use of media to navigate developmental changes and cope with the daily difficulties of being teenagers, and on the role of media in shaping adolescents’ development of identity …

Graduate Bulletin, 2006-2007 (2006), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Life-Course Socioeconomic Position And Hypertension In African American Men: The Pitt County Study, Sherman A. James, John Van Hoewyk, Robert F. Belli, David S. Strogatz, David R. Williams, Trevillore E. Raghunathan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives. We investigated the odds of hypertension for Black men in relationship to their socioeconomic position (SEP) in both childhood and adulthood.

Methods. On the basis of their parents’ occupation, we classified 379 men in the Pitt County (North Carolina) Study into low and high childhood SEP. The men’s own education, occupation, employment status, and home ownership status were used to classify them into low and high adulthood SEP. Four life-course SEP categories resulted: low childhood/low adulthood, low childhood/high adulthood, high childhood/low adulthood, and high childhood/high adulthood.

Results. Low childhood SEP was associated with a 60% greater …

Incorporating Social Anxiety Into A Model Of College Problem Drinking: Replication And Extension, Lindsay S. Ham, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although research has found an association between social anxiety and alcohol use in noncollege samples, results have been mixed for college samples. College students face many novel social situations in which they may drink to reduce social anxiety. In the current study, the authors tested a model of college problem drinking, incorporating social anxiety and related psychosocial variables among 228 undergraduate volunteers. According to structural equation modeling (SEM) results, social anxiety was unrelated to alcohol use and was negatively related to drinking consequences. Perceived drinking norms mediated the social anxiety–alcohol use relation and was the variable most strongly associated with …

Online Story Comprehension Among Children With Adhd: Which Core Deficits Are Involved?, Kate Flory, Richard Milich, Elizabeth P. Lorch, Angela N. Hayden, Chandra Strange, Richard Welsh

Psychology Faculty Publications

Children with ADHD have difficulty understanding causal connections and goal plans within stories. This study examined mediators of group differences in story narrations between children ages 7-9 with and without ADHD, including as potential mediators both the core deficits of ADHD (i.e., inattention, disinhibition, planning/working memory) as well measures of phonological processing and verbal skills. Forty-nine children with ADHD and 67 non-referred children narrated a wordless book and completed tasks assessing the core deficits of ADHD, phonological processing, and verbal skills. Results revealed that, although no shorter than those of non-referred children, the narratives of children with ADHD contained fewer …

A Holistic Self-Identity Model, Jacquelyne R. Joens

Graduate Research Papers

Parents, educators, business leaders, political leaders, and mental health professionals all appreciate the impact positive self-esteem has on a person's ability to strive and grow. Self-esteem is a complex, multifaceted component of human existence. It is possible to identify and observe the result of a healthy self-esteem or even the outcome of a damaged self-esteem, but the term self-esteem may be antiquated and no longer exemplary of a complete picture of self. This paper examines research and attempts to define a multi-dimensional model of self-esteem, a Holistic Self-Identity Model, which will help to bring into focus the concept of self-identity …

Impact Of Participation In A Cognitive-Behavioral Substance Abuse Program On Recividism , Kristen Spates

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study utilizes archival data from a cognitive-behavioral substance abuse program for offenders. Substance abuse often is linked to criminal involvement and it was expected that treatment of substance abuse problems would result in a decline in recidivism. The study includes all adult male offenders who completed the Offender Substance Abuse Prerelease Program (OSAPP) through Volunteers of America, from January of 2001 through September of 2003. Participants are described in terms of their severity of substance abuse problems and risk of recidivism. It was expected that differences in program participation, as measured by changes from pre test to posttest …

Descriptive Study Of The Planning, Implementation, And Outcome Of A Parent School Involvement Program, Carol Mack

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Research verifies a positive impact on academic achievement based upon parental involvement with children's educational needs and school programs. It takes a sense of partnership between parents and schools to achieve positive educational outcomes for children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the development, implementation and outcome of a Parent School Involvement Project involving parent-training workshops. While no statistically significant relationship could be found between improvement in student homework completion rates and parent attendance at school-sponsored parent training workshops, parents, faculty, and administration were united in their belief that the program was a positive and promising approach to …

Relationship Between Discontinuation Of Anti-Depressant Medication During Pregnancy And Development Of Postpartum Depression, Maria Palombo Murphy

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious and potentially debilitating disorder that frequently goes undetected due to stigma and a lack of understanding about its course and etiology. The factor of particular interest to this study concerns the relationship between discontinuation of anti-depressant medication in pregnancy and the development of PPD. The study examined how the variables of pregnancy mood, child care stress, emotional support, instrumental support, marital satisfaction, history of depression, baby temperament, birth experience, and medication status affect symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) in a sample of 202 patients at the six-week postpartum check-up. In addition to a demographic …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With A Depressed Outpatient: Assessing Change In Cognitive Distortions As Measured By The Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions, Detta S. Tate

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This single subject case study was conducted to determine the usefulness of a new measure, the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (lCD). The main purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the ICD in noting changes in dysfunctional thinking during cognitive behavioral therapy. Because of the high incidence of depression in the population, a subject diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder was determined to be the most appropriate choice for assessing the effectiveness of this measure in the clinical setting. The cognitive behavioral treatment implemented was a manualized approach using Gilson and Freeman's (1999), Overcoming Depression. This treatment was a collaborative effort …

The Quality Of The Sibling Relationship Of Children Diagnosed With Autism, Kelly C. O'Laughlin

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Seldom has the quality of the sibling relationship between children with disabilities and their siblings without disabilities been explored, particularly via firsthand accounts from the non-disabled sibling, rather than from parental observations and reports. Furthermore, research has shown mixed results regarding whether or not the siblings of children with disabilities have increased internalizing (anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder) or externalizing (attention deficits, hyperactivity, and oppositional) behaviors, psychosocial maladjustment, or impaired developmental stages, as opposed to siblings of children without disabilities. This study attempted to determine whether or not there was a correlation between the severity of autism disability; as …

Examining Vicarious Traumatization, Anna Zacharcenko

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors correlated with vicarious traumatization in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) clinicians. One hundred and sixty clinicians were surveyed. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if a relationship existed between variables, such as current and cumulative exposure to client trauma and clinician endorsement of disrupted cognitive schemas and intrusive imagery. Variables such as clinician involvement in professional and personal support activities as well as participation in leisure ·and spiritual activities were also examined. Study results suggested that a longer work history and utilization of peer support served as protective factors against …

The Role Of Expectancies In Binge Eating Behavior, Jessica Larose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central aim of the present study was to examine the role of expectancies in binge eating behavior. Two distinct statistical techniques were used to accomplish this goal. First, regression analyses were conducted using variables previously identified in the literature, as well as eating expectancies as measured by the Eating Expectancy Inventory (EEI). For both females and males, regression equations including expectancies accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in binge eating behavior. Second, memory modeling techniques were used to model the probable organization of eating expectancies. Memory modeling of hypothetical expectancy networks has lead to successful interventions in …

Hispanics' Attitudes Toward Seeking Counselingas A Function Of Psychosocial And Demographic Variables, Angela Rojas-Vilches

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using variables identified in the social science literature believed to influence attitudes toward seeking professional counseling, an attempt was made to develop a model for predicting Hispanics' willingness to obtain professional help. A second purpose of this study was to compare college students (n = 158) with their parents on their attitudes toward mental illness and toward seeking counseling. Among predictor variables, social stigma and the belief that mental illnesses are untreatable were the primary variables predicting attitudes toward seeking counseling. The more college students and their parents perceived there to be social stigma attached to those seeking therapy, and …

The Impact Of Meditation Cds On College Students' Sense Of Wellbeing, Angela Carter

HIM 1990-2015

The present study examined the effects of use of mindfulness meditation CDs on college students' stress levels. It was predicted the use of meditation can positively affect student's sense of well-being and decrease student's stress levels. A convenience sample of 44 undergraduate students (n = 44) was divided and randomly assigned to either mindfulness meditation group (MT group) or delayed treatment control group (CTL group). All subjects completed three stress symptom surveys (SC1-90R, PSS-14, & CHIPS) to establish baseline measures. After a 6-week intervention, the MT group showed significantly greater improvements in reduction of stress related symptoms, specifically in Somatization …

The Relation Between Optimism And Job Performance: An Applied Setting, Mary Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on cognitive ability measures consistently concludes that they are predictive of employee performance. While accounting for only about 9% of the variance in performance, however, cognitive ability measures are not sufficient. Alternative measures, such as measures of personality constructs, must be included to fully predict employee performance. The research on personality measures suggests that they are marginally predictive of employee performance. Research also suggests that predicative accuracy of personality measures can be enhanced when the measure is specific to the situation (i.e., stress measure are more predictive of performance in high stress situations compared to moderate or low stress …

Predictors Of Perceiving Racism In Ambiguous Situations, Teresa Marino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study used a mixed-experimental analog design to examine 858 undergraduate students' reactions to a scenario depicting a store clerk being mildly rude to a customer. The ethnicity of the clerk and customer were manipulated. Results indicated that participants' beliefs regarding the general prevalence of racism and the degree to which they identify with their respective ethnic group significantly predicted the extent to which they perceived the clerk's behavior as being racially motivated. It also was found that participants' beliefs regarding the general prevalence of racism, levels of cynicism, and attributional style significantly predicted the extent to which they …

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Chronic Stress And Divided Attention Performance, Diane Petrac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has extensively examined the effect of acute stress on cognitive performance, relatively little research has explored the relationship between chronic stress and cognitive performance. The current study aimed to control for current state anxiety to better isolate more chronic stress, when examining the relationship with performance on divided attention tasks. Fifty-four university undergraduates, who self-reported a wide range of perceived chronic stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale), completed the Trail-Making Test and a dual (auditory and visual) Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to explore cognitive predictors of chronic perceived stress. After covarying for state anxiety …

Is This A Mirror I See Before Me?: Adolescent Girls Use Imaginal Writing To Re-Vision Life Experience: A Dissertation, Cameron L. Marzelli

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This participant observer collective case study was an investigation of the ways in which an imaginal writing process might facilitate resilience in adolescent girls who had previously used writing to respond to challenging life experience.

Parent-Adolescent Involvement: The Relative Influence Of Parent Gender And Residence, Daniel Hawkins, Paul R. Amato, Valarie King

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The 1995 wave of the Add Health study is used to investigate the relative influence of parent gender and residence on patterns of parental involvement with adolescents. Adolescent reports (N = 17,330) of shared activities, shared communication, and relationship quality with both biological parents are utilized. A multidimensional scaling analysis reveals that parent gender explains most of the variance in parent-adolescent involvement, with residential status playing a secondary yet fundamental role in accounting for these patterns. Resident mothers who do not live with adolescents’ biological fathers engage in the broadest range of activities with their children. Unpartnered resident fathers display …

Assessing The Need For Dual Diagnosis Training For Mental Health Workers Serving Youth In Michigan, Kathleen "Lucy" Mcgoron

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Dual diagnosis is the co-occurrence of substance use and another psychiatric disorder. Research has shown that people with dual diagnosis have worse outcomes than those with only substance use or another psychiatric disorder. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on training programs which help better serve adults with dual diagnosis, but there have been minimal efforts for training mental health workers who serve youths. This project examines the need for training in community mental health workers in Michigan who work with youths. Results indicate that a quarter of youths being seen for treatment need substance use services, however …

Study Of The Cognitive Functioning Of Medicated And Non-Medicated Elementary School-Aged Children Diagnosed With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Janet Friedman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a serious disability that has been shown to adversely affect cognition, affect, and behavior. Research using traditional measures of cognitive functioning, such as intelligence tests has shown that children diagnosed with ADHD perform poorly on cognitive measures of processing speed, and on working memory in particular (Kerns, Mclnerney & Wilde, 2001; Weiler, Bernstein, Bellinger & Waber, 2000). Mahone, et al. (2003), note that reviews involving the Wechsler Scales for children suggest that Full Scale IQ scores (FSIQ) on the WISC-III average 5 to 6 points lower than scores in the WISC-R. It was hypothesized …

Evaluation Of A Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy Program For The Treatment Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Female Juvenile Delinquents In Residential Placements, Janet Heesen Knapp

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Female juvenile delinquents have a high incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Residential treatment programs for female juvenile offenders typically lack gender-specific programming and empirically supported treatment protocols. This study attempted to examine the effectiveness of the Alternative Rehabilitation Communities, Inc., Group Therapy Program for Female Juvenile Delinquents with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Alternative Rehabilitation Community, 2004). This manual-based treatment program was conducted in 5 residential treatment agencies in Pennsylvania. Two comparable agencies served as comparison sites. Data was obtained from a larger study performed by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development Division of Planning and Evaluation, which had …

Development Of An Internet-Based Disease Management Program For People With Diabetes , Robert L. Mailliard

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Diabetes is a chronic illness that currently has no cure. Quality of life can be improved by the person’s own adherence to treatment and motivation to manage their diabetes. Both of these factors are difficult maintain and access to patient education materials is limited. This study developed an Internet-based disease management program for people with diabetes. This diabetes disease management program followed the PRECEDE health program planning model. Focus groups and key informant interviews people with diabetes were run in order to obtain feedback for this program. Cognitive-behavioral and health behavior change theory were integrated in to the program to …

Phd And Psyd Graduates: More Alike Than Different, Elizabeth N. Wood

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study seeks to measure the attitudes and contributions of professional psychologists who have earned a PsyD degree. Initially developed as a degree to emphasize training in clinical practice over academia or research, the Doctor of Psychology degree follows the "Vail Model," also known as the "practitioner-scholar model." A random sample of practicing clinical psychologists was surveyed to determine if practicing c linical psychologists with a PsyD versus a PhD degree differ in attitude regarding serving diverse populations, public advocacy, and scholarship, and whether these attitudes are confirmed in practice. A questionnaire with practice-based questions was administered to 600 licensed …