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Trends. Is Saddam Hussein Dead?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses how we might know whether Saddam Hussein is dead, as well as his significance in the ongoing political narrative in Iraq.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Among Life-Skills, Self-Esteem, And Well-Being In Adults, Scott David Meche

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among life-skills, self-esteem, and well-being in 278 adults. Adults were classified into three age groups. Of the 278 participants, 96 were young adults, 92 were middle-aged, and 90 were older adults. Life-skills, global organizations of general coping skills that are learned behaviors which enable effective functioning, were assessed with the Life-Skills Inventory - Adult Form (Gazda, Illovsky, & Taylor, 1991). Analyses were performed to understand the influence of four generic life-skills areas, interpersonal communication/human relations, problem-solving/decision making, identity development/purpose in life, and physical fitness/health maintenance, on self-esteem. Self-esteem was measured with the Self-Esteem Inventory-Adult Form …

From The Individual To Individualism: A Critique Of The Helping Professions, Timothy B. Smith, Matthew R. Draper

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Individualistic values characterize contemporary society and many popular approaches to mental health treatment. This paper critiques the individualistic values embedded in the helping professions that implicity contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ, the surest foundation for mental health interventions. Members of AMCAP are encouraged to search out and replace problematic values that contradict gospel teachings which have been integrated into contemporary mental health practice.

Situational Context And Personality Influences On Motor Performance: A Test Of Self-Determination Theory, Trena N. Thompson

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This research attempted to predict motor performance through consideration of an individual's personality orientation and the manipulation of motivation through priming a specified situational context. The effect of the personality orientation and situational prime on self-handicapping was also analyzed. Hypotheses were derived from key concepts of self-determination theory, specifically causality orientation theory, and previous work by Hodgins and colleagues (in press). The results of the study indicated that motor performance was not predicted by personality, situational prime, or the interaction of the two variables.

Psychological Reactance As A Personality Characteristic: Relationships To Attachment And Autonomy, Maurine Traville Hargrove Ladner

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological reactance is a construct that motivates people to restore lost or threatened freedoms (Brehm, 1966). Research is beginning to show that psychological reactance may be related to family of origin dynamics. Autonomy is developed through a secure attachment. Dowd (1993) stated that autonomy is fostered by an optimal level of reactance, and one's personal identity is dependent on the development of a flexible autonomy. This study explored the relationship between psychological reactance and attachment. Additionally, research has suggested that level of reactance may be related to level of autonomy. This relationship was empirically explored. Participants were assessed using the …

Strategy Uses And Study Time: Relationship With Memory Performance In Older Adults, Karen A. S. Doolittle

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The overall purpose of this study was to foster a greater understanding of age-related memory loss as it pertains to the aging workforce's ability to remain productive and effective in a time of complex change, and to recommend some adjustments that can be made to compensate for these memory declines. The specific intent of this current project was to test one premise of Ericsson and Chase's Skilled Memory Theory, namely that memory skill is a skill that can be developed through enhanced encoding and through practice. By introducing participants to the simple mnemonic strategy of chunking and by allowing two …

Believing In Health, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Every minute of every day people from across the globe and from all religious traditions pray. Whether their prayers are offered at home, at work, in nature, in a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or elsewhere, at any given moment, millions are participating in some prayerful religious activity. What are they praying for? Certainly, prayers for health and healing must be close to the top of the list.

There has been tremendous interest in the relationship between religious faith and health for thousands of years. Regardless of religious tradition, people have sought religious guidance and spiritual support to help prevent, recover …

The Development Of A Physical Education Teachers' Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Instrument, Jeffrey J. Martin, Pamela Hodges Kulinna

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

In the present investigation a questionnaire was developed to assess physical education teachers' self-efficacy for teaching classes in which their students were engaged in high levels of physical activity (i.e., at least 50% of class time). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in the development of a 16-item, 4-factor, multidimensional physical education teachers' physical activity self-efficacy scale (PETPAS) that produced reliable and valid scores. The Student factor reflected teachers' efficacy for managing students who didn't enjoy or value physical activity. The Time factor was indicative of teachers' efficacy when they didn't have enough time to teach. The Space factor reflected …

The Effects Of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate On Response Acquisition, Sean Patrick Laraway

Dissertations

In the last 10 years, the use and abuse of the club drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has noticeably increased. Because GHB has only recently emerged as a drug of abuse, relatively little is known about the drug's behavioral effects, including its effects on learning. Therefore, the present study sought to characterize GHB's effects on rats' acquisition of a lever-press response using a two-lever, resetting/cancellation procedure. Under this procedure, responses on one ( reinforcement ) lever produced a single food pellet after a delay of 0, 20, or 40 s. Presses on the second ( cancellation ) lever during a delay interval …

Examination Of The Efficacy Of Behavioral Activation In The Treatment Of Co-Morbid Major Depressive Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Patrick S. Mulick

Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of 10-weeks of Behavioral Activation (BA) in the treatment of co-morbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in six adults using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design. This study is an attempt to expand empirical knowledge regarding BA, co-morbid PTSD and MDD, and the treatment outcome research specifically relevant to these co-morbid diagnoses. All participants met full DSM-IV criteria for both MDD and PTSD at the outset of the study. Duration of baseline for each subject varied and ran for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 weeks. Self-report data were gathered …

The View From The Couch, Jeanne Marecek

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Children At Promise: An Investigation Of The Perceived Presence Of Supportive Relationships In The Life Of A Child And That Child's Ability To Perceive The Benefits Of Adversity, Timothy S. Stuart

Education Dissertations

The central purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the presence of supportive relationships in a child's life and his or her ability to perceive the benefits of adversity in his or her life. Other possible predictors of a child's ability to perceive the benefits of adversity are explored through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis.

One hundred and forty six (n = 146) high school students were surveyed using the At Promise Survey. The data was collected and statistically analyzed. The perceived presence of supportive relationships in a child's life, and the importance of …

Identifying The Function Of Aberrant Behavior: Comparing Variations Of The Experimental Functional Analysis, Kathryn M. Potoczak

Dissertations

The advent of the experimental functional analysis has had a significant effect on the field of behavior analysis in shifting the focus from topography-based interventions for aberrant behavior to treatment based on function. The original method developed by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman in 1982 utilized attention, demand, alone, and play conditions in a multielement design. Its effectiveness in determining the function of aberrant behavior using both antecedents and corresponding contingencies of reinforcement is well established, and it is the most prevalent method of functional assessment used today.

However, an alternative to the Iwata et al. (1982) procedure exists. …

Modeling The Decision Process Of A Joint Task Force Commander, John Anthony Sokolowski

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. military uses modeling and simulation as a tool to help meet its warfighting needs. A key element within military simulations is the ability to accurately represent human behavior. This is especially true in a simulation's ability to emulate realistic military decisions. However, current decision models fail to provide the variability and flexibility that human decision makers exhibit. Further, most decision models are focused on tactical decisions and ignore the decision process of senior military commanders at the operational level of warfare. In an effort to develop a better decision model that would mimic the decision process of a …

The Effect Of Law School On Political Attitudes: Some Evidence From The Class Of 2000, J D. Droddy, C Scott Peters

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Feminist Identity And Social Tolerance Of Mental Illness: The Influence Of Gender-Role Deviance, Susan Eileen Hamilton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the influence of feminist identity on social tolerance of mental illness, specifically, the extent to which people with gender deviant mental illnesses (i.e. men with depression, women with antisocial personality disorder) are socially tolerated. Male and female subjects (N=260) were given the Feminist Perspectives Scale and six character vignettes describing a person with a mental illness followed by a series of questions. Subjects received a score on six subscales of the FPS (conservative, liberal feminism, radical feminism, cultural feminism, socialist feminism, and woman of color feminism), which were compared to their social tolerance scores. Results suggested that …

Trends. A Casualty Of War: Suicide As A Response To An American-Led Invasion Of Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychology of suicide as protest.

Political Authority And Social Cognitions On The War On Terrorism With Global Reach: Airport Security, Terrorism Contingent On A United States-Led Attack On Iraq, Smallpox Vaccinations, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article presents analyses of three common social cognitions embraced by many representatives of political authority concerning aspects of the war on terrorism with global reach.

Trends. Geropsychology And Global Security, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses how to evaluate whether national leaders, as senior citizens, can be considered the best and brightest, and the possible role for cognitive stimulation.

The Politics Of Helping: An Example From Guatemala, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies a complexity of helping others based on beliefs in the therapeutic value of such constructs as reliving memories, venting, catharsis, and the return of the repressed.

Mother-Child Conversation And Children's Understanding Of Biological And Nonbiological Changes In Size, Jennifer Jipson, Maureen A. Callanan

Psychology and Child Development

This article explores the ways that mothers and children from primarily middle-income European American backgrounds reason about events in which biological and nonbiological objects change in size. In Study 1, mother–child conversations were examined to investigate the events mothers described as growth, as well as the ways mothers explained events occurring in different domains. Findings indicate that although mothers primarily discussed events in domain-specific ways, they exhibited some domain blurring in their talk to children. In Study 2,3-year-old children (M = 3 years, 2 months) and 5-year-old children (M = 5 years) provided descriptions and explanations of the same events. …

Treatment- And Cost-Effectiveness Of Early Intervention For Acute Low Back Patients: A One-Year Prospective Study, Robert J. Gatchel, Peter B. Polatin, Carl Noe

Psychology Faculty Publications - Archive

In an attempt to prevent acute low back pain from becoming a chronic disability problem, an earlier study developed a statistical algorithm which accurately identified those acute low back pain patients who were at high risk for developing such chronicity. The major goal of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of employing an early intervention program with these high-risk patients in order to prevent the development of chronic disability at a one-year follow-up. Approximately 700 acute low back pain patients were screened for their high-risk versus low-risk status. On the basis of this screening, high-risk patients were …

Neuropsychological Outcome Following Perinatal Hie: Utility Of Mr Spectroscopy, Joy Michelle Gardner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Outcome following hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a neurodegenerative process caused by prolonged asphyxiation during birth, can vary between minimal impairment and cerebral palsy, mental retardation, or death (30%) (McCulloch, Taylor, & Whyte, 1991). Prognosis after HIE is often difficult to establish because traditional predictors, such as Sarnat scores, Apgar scores, and pH, do not always account for adequate variance in outcome. The prognostic utility of MR Spectroscopy in the pathogenesis of asphyxia is promising (Wyatt, 1994). Innovative research indicates that MR Spectroscopy can accurately predict outcome at one year in 91% of neonates with central nervous system injuries (Holshouser et al., …

Culture Shock Due To Contact With Unfamiliar Cultures, Stephen Bochner

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

The topic of this chapter is the social psychology of cross-cultural interaction. We discuss the psychological processes that take place during and after meetings between individuals and groups who differ in their cultural backgrounds. We identify two types of cross-cultural contact: a) meetings that occur between two societies when individuals travel from their place of origin to another country for a specific purpose and a limited amount of time, such people being called sojourners in the literature; and b) meetings within multi-cultural societies among its ethnically diverse permanent residents. Contact with culturally unfamiliar people and places can be unsettling, and …

Analysis Of The Theoretical Relationships Between Work Exhaustion, Job Satisfaction, And Turnover Intention Of Air Force Information Systems Managers, Alfred D. Ray

Theses and Dissertations

The use of information technology has increased exponentially over the last two decades (Cohen and Burton, 2001), Accordingly, the ability of organizations to retain their information systems staff has been a critical factor in the effort to achieve strategic goals (Moore, 2002), When IS professionals leave an organization, not only is the number of them available for assignment to projects depleted, the professionals themselves often take specialized skills, tacit knowledge, and understanding of specific business operations and information systems with them (Agarwal and Ferratt, 2002), Chief Executives have become increasingly interested in issues related to the recruitment, development, and retention …

Trends. Homeland Security And The Problem Of What Counts, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses and evaluates claims that “the Bush Administration’s policies and programs for homeland security…too sparsely [invest] in relevant initiatives.”

The Undecided Student And Self-Assessment: A Journey Toward Decision, Lucia A. Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this single subject study were (a) to create a profile of the undecided student in regard to academic and career direction and (b) to explore the effectiveness of self-assessment tools as aides for the undecided student. An undergraduate student, who voluntarily came to a Career and Academic Planning Center, was chosen based upon (a) her declaration of being undecided regarding the direction of academic and career pursuits and (b) her willingness to explore self-assessment tools. After selection, the student was given (a) a single item questionnaire, to solely determine whether she was decided or undecided regarding career …

Measuring Personality And Values Across Cultures: Imported Versus Indigenous Measures, Fanny M. Cheung, Shu Fai Cheung

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Cross-cultural studies of personality have shown cultural similarities and differences in the manifestation of personality traits. In interpreting cultural differences in personality traits, we should consider not only the experiences of people in different cultures, but also the measures adopted and the cultural orientations of researchers themselves. In this chapter, we discuss the considerations in adapting an instrument from one culture to another culture. We illustrate the alternative approach of developing an indigenous personality measure in the Chinese culture.

Culture And Counseling, Clemmont E. Vontress

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Culture is a group's way of life. It is visible and invisible, cognitive and affective, conscious and unconscious, and much more. There are at least five sources of it. They are the universal, ecological, national, regional, and racio-ethnic tributaries. Interactively, they shape and influence all human behavior, including counseling. In this chapter, the ways culture as a whole impacts the counseling relationship, diagnosis, treatment plan, follow-up, and payment is discussed.

A Single Subject Study On Major Depressive Disorder, Ptsd, And Mild Mental Retardation, Jennifer Yvette Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single subject study was to compare best practice and normative practice in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Mild Mental Retardation. A client from a community-based agency was used in the study. The client was an African American woman who resided in a low socioeconomic area and whose income was below the poverty line. The client experienced emotional, physical, and psychological abuse and neglect during childhood. She presented with symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, basic coping skills and parenting skills. Outcome data was obtained through interviewing and observations. The treatment consisted …