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Bilingual Effects On Deployment Of The Attention System In Linguistically And Culturally Homogeneous Children And Adults, Sujin Yang, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We investigated the impact of early childhood and adulthood bilingualism on the attention system in a group of linguistically and culturally homogeneous children (5- and 6-year olds) and young adults. We administered the child Attention Network Test (ANT) to 63 English monolingual and Korean-English bilingual children and administered the adult ANT to 39 language- and culture-matched college students. Advantageous bilingual effects on attention were observed for both children and adults in global processing levels of inverse efficiency, response time, and accuracy at a magnitude more pronounced for children than for adults. Differential bilingualism effects were evident at the local network …

Grandiose Narcissism Predicts Willingness To Behave Badly, Without Proportional Tolerance For Others’ Bad Behavior, Harry M. Wallace, Benjamin R M Scheiner, Andrew Grotzinger

Psychology Faculty Research

Narcissists characteristically behave badly; our study investigated how they respond to experiencing others’ bad behavior. After completing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a measure of grandiose narcissism, participants reported their willingness to engage in different inconsiderate or unethical common behaviors. Then they reported how bothered they would feel in response to experiencing each of the same bad behaviors—perpetrated by someone else. Participants overall reported feeling bothered by others’ bad behavior, but narcissism was unrelated to intolerance judgments. Narcissists are often highly reactive when their inflated self-views are challenged, but our study suggests that narcissists are not uniquely bothered by everyday minor …

Understanding And Measuring Functional Impairment In Diverse Children With Adhd: Development Of The Adhd-Fx Scale With An At-Risk, Community Sample, Lauren M. Haack, Alyson C. Gerdes, Kathryn E. Lawton, Brian W. Schneider

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Self-Forgiveness And Forgiveness-Seeking In Response To Rumination: Cardiac And Emotional Responses Of Transgressors, Sérgio P. Da Silva, Charlotte Witvliet, Blake Riek

Faculty Scholarship

Self-forgiveness and forgiveness-seeking are important and understudied aspects of forgiveness. We examined the cardiac and emotional patterns of healthy young adults (40 women, 40 men) who recalled an unresolved offense they had caused another person. Participants engaged in four imagery conditions: ruminating about the offense, being humbly repentant and engaging in self-forgiveness, seeking forgiveness from the victim and receiving forgiveness, and seeking forgiveness from the victim and being begrudged. Being repentant and begrudged forgiveness by one’s victim was associated with the same level of guilt as when ruminating, but significantly more negative emotion, less control, and less empathy than when …

Self-Forgiveness And Forgiveness-Seeking In Response To Rumination: Cardiac And Emotional Responses Of Transgressors, Sérgio P. Da Silva, Charlotte Vanoyen-Witvliet, Blake Riek

Faculty Publications

Self-forgiveness and forgiveness-seeking are important and understudied aspects of forgiveness. We examined the cardiac and emotional patterns of healthy young adults (40 women, 40 men) who recalled an unresolved offense they had caused another person. Participants engaged in four imagery conditions: ruminating about the offense, being humbly repentant and engaging in self-forgiveness, seeking forgiveness from the victim and receiving forgiveness, and seeking forgiveness from the victim and being begrudged. Being repentant and begrudged forgiveness by one’s victim was associated with the same level of guilt as when ruminating, but significantly more negative emotion, less control, and less empathy than when …

Eye-Tracking And Corpus-Based Analyses Of Syntax-Semantics Interactions In Complement Coercion, Matthew W. Lowder, Peter C. Gordon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Previous work has shown that the difficulty associated with processing complex semantic expressions is reduced when the critical constituents appear in separate clauses as opposed to when they appear together in the same clause. We investigated this effect further, focusing in particular on complement coercion, in which an event-selecting verb (e.g., began) combines with a complement that represents an entity (e.g., began the memo). Experiment 1 compared reading times for coercion versus control expressions when the critical verb and complement appeared together in a subject-extracted relative clause (SRC) (e.g., The secretary that began/wrote the memo) compared to …

Caffeine Combined With Sedative/Anesthetic Drugs Used In Neonatal Medicine And Apoptotic Neurotoxicity In Developing Mouse Brain, Omar Hosea Cabrera

Dissertations

Each year, millions of premature babies are exposed to sedative/anesthetic drugs (SADs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Acute exposure to SADs triggers widespread apoptosis in the developing brain of rodents and non-human primates. Furthermore, premature infants are administered caffeine (CAF) to treat respiratory dysfunction. Mounting evidence suggests that CAF may be neurotoxic and, when given in combination with SADs, potentiates SAD-induced cell death. However, the apoptotic interaction of CAF and SAD co-exposure is poorly understood. In a series of studies, I report that CAF combined with the NICU SADs midazolam, ketamine, or fentanyl is more neurotoxic to the …

Analysis Of African American And White American Cognitive Profiles For Language And Cultural Influences, Nicole Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

One of the most concerning aspects of special education is the overrepresentation of African American minority youth receiving special education services. Samuel Ortiz and colleagues considered the issue of the representation of the Latino, English Language Learner (ELL) population in special education services based on cognitive performance in relation to the mainstream population. To target this concern they determined an estimated level of expected cognitive performance of ELL’s and impact of language and cultural differences to help eligibility teams more appropriately interpret and place students with the aid of the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix (C-LIM) model they developed. The current …

The Evaluation Of Family-School Collaboration With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Families, Samantha Silver

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that when parents are involved in their children’s academic and school life, children experience improved language achievement, overall behavior, grades, test scores, have improved attendance, and a lower chance of dropping out of school (Friend and Cook, 2007). Despite the growing diversity of U.S. schools, there is a still a systemic lack of effort to include parents of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This research study sought to examine barriers to establishing a successful collaborative relationship with these families from the perspective of elementary, middle, and high school teachers using an online survey. A total of 39 …

The Experience Of Reading: What Elementary Children Think Of Reading, Francesca Simpson

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

As students with disabilities prepare to move from high school to vocations or post-secondary schooling it is essential they be able to self-advocate for their needed services. During their public school years, school psychologists, counselors, and other school administrative personnel are responsible for ensuring they are provided with an “appropriate,” barrier-free education under federal law. But upon graduation from high school, that responsibility shifts entirely onto the individual. In order to self-advocate successfully a student with a disability must know about their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. In regards to learning the student must be able to describe them to others …

Exploring The Effects Of Positive Behavioral Supports On Disciplinary Practices In Schools And It's Potential To Mitigate Disproportionality In Disciplinary Outcomes For African American Students, E'Lexus Emily King

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Disproportionality in special education and school discipline in the U.S. Education system has been a crucial and complex issue. Research has shown that evidence-based interventions that lie within the positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework has been effective in improving educational outcomes for all students. In this study, the author investigated the impact of the School-Wide Benchmarks of Quality, a PBIS fidelity measure, on student disciplinary outcomes. 380 schools presented four years of disciplinary outcome data. Results showed that the PBIS fidelity measure had a modest effect on the overall student disciplinary outcomes but did not address the disproportionate …

More Than Meets The Eye: Taking A Look At Emdr In Trauma-Focused Therapy, Karen M. Engelhard

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

An abundance of research in trauma-focused therapy has been conducted and continues in the ongoing effort to increase evidence-based approaches to counseling practice. While the therapeutic intervention of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has existed for decades and is now widely accepted as an effective treatment method for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it continues to be surrounded by controversy and criticism as the utility of the eye-movements and its theoretical basis are still not well understood. In this paper, I have discussed theories of trauma and the impact on mind and body, the evolution of EMDR along with its …

The Development Of A Psychological Check-Up: Assessing Character And Well-Being Via The Unified Approach, Lindsay Michele Anmuth

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This dissertation presents a model of assessing and addressing the growing college student mental health crisis (CSMHC), which pertains to the rise of student pathology over time and difficulty meeting the needs of that growing population. A theory driven conceptual paradigm was developed, based on Henriques’ (2011; Henriques & Stout, 2012) Unified Approach to psychology and psychotherapy and, specifically, the Nested Model of Well-being (Henriques, Kleinman, & Asselin, 2014) and Character Adaptation Systems Theory (CAST). Based on those conceptual models and an understanding of college student mental health concerns, the Psychological Check-Up was designed. The Psychological Check-Up consists of a …

Language Use Statistics And Perceptual Simulation In Language Processing, Alena Hejl

Linguistics Honors Projects

Humans’ ability to comprehend language seems to rely on both mental reconstructions of what we have experienced in the world and statistically-based expectations of how language is used. This study adapted a comparison of perceptual and statistical explanations of word comprehension in the auditory modality. Participants completed a series of trials in which they heard cue words, some of which were spatially oriented (e.g., sky, ground), and then completed a letter identification task. In this task, the letter appeared on the computer screen in either a congruent location or an incongruent location. The position of the letter at the top …

Socialization Of Respeto In Immigrant Mexican Families, Marsha Tafoya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Respeto is a cultural value considered to be essential in Latina/o families. Latina/o parents endorse respeto as being an important to teaching to their children. Mental health professionals argue that it is important to understand cultural values in delivering appropriate and relevant services to ethnic and culturally diverse clients. Some experts argue that such focus on cultural context also improves the effectiveness of interventions. The current study examined the cultural value of respeto in immigrant Mexican parents with a child between 4 and 9 years of age. Two scales were developed to examine the behavioral displays of respeto in boys …

Traditions And Proficiency Abroad - Spain (Tapas) Program: A High School Study Abroad Program For District 128, Michaela Kendzior

Capstone Collection

As colleges begin to internationalize campuses and global competencies continue to become a demand in the workforce, secondary schools should also aim to internationalize the curriculum and offer international education opportunities to their students. In an effort to do this, I have created the Traditions And Proficiency Abroad - Spain (TAPAS) Program for Community High School District 128 in Illinois. The TAPAS program is a 20-day summer intensive cultural and language immersion program created to maximize learning potential in D128 students. While the program’s focus is on Spanish language and culture education, the orientation and instructional activities have been designed …

Latent Semantic Similarity In Initial Computer-Mediated Interactions, Vivian P. Ta

Psychology Theses - Archive

The initial interactions of same-sex strangers were investigated to examine the development of latent semantic similarity (LSS; that is, how interaction partners come to use words in the same way) in computer-mediated interactions. A previous study by Ta, Babcock, and Ickes (2016) found that verbal behaviors, rather than nonverbal behaviors, uniquely predicted the development of LSS in the initial face-to-face interactions of same-sex strangers. This suggested that LSS might develop similarly and as efficiently in conversations in which only words are exchanged (i.e., computer-mediated interactions). As such, using a sample of 120 same-sex dyads (all strangers) who interacted with each …

The Development Of The Scale Of Contemplative Practice In Higher Education, Maryann Krikorian

Educational Studies Dissertations

Some scholars have formed a more expansive view of knowledge that moves beyond the cognitive notion of intellect. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) theory posits that human intelligence encompasses both cognitive and emotional competencies, providing a framework for the concept of contemplative practices in an endeavor to support an eclectic understanding of cognition. Contemplative practices may benefit graduate student disposition and inform areas of educator preparation through the use of emotional adeptness in higher education. The purpose of this study was to: (a) develop a self-report measure: Scale of Contemplative Practice in Higher Education (SCOPE); (b) address the issues of …

Infants' Categorization Of Goal Events, Danielle Spinelli

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infants can discriminate the difference between goal (endpoint; e.g., duck walking to a tree) and source events (starting point; e.g., duck walking away from tree), and they show a preference for the goals over the source events (Lakusta et al., 2007; Lakusta & Carey, 2015). The current experiment explored to what extent 10-18 month old infants categorically represent goal spatial relations. The present experiment is an extension of Lakusta, Yuschak, & Batinjane (2014) which found that 14-month old infants show evidence for goal and, sometimes, source categorization. Because there is evidence for 14-month old categorization the current experiment tested younger …

Sources Of Self-Efficacy Information For Writing: A Qualitative Inquiry, Mary E. Holmes

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored the sources of information that inform students’ self-efficacy beliefs in the area of writing. A qualitative phenomenological case study approach was use to capture the experiences of gifted middle school students.

Writing is a critical skill for success in school and beyond, and many students in the United States are not able to adequately write extended texts (Bruning & Horn, 2000; National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Understanding students’ motivation for engaging with writing might provide insight into how to better support students’ experience with writing in school. Self-efficacy is a key construct within motivation, and it …

Factors Correlating With Resilience In Bolivian Street Girls, Emily Wynsma

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Resilience is defined as the ability to respond adaptively and maintain a high quality of life even after adversity or trauma. Research conducted in Western cultures has identified multiple factors that correlate with resilience for survivors of childhood trauma, including social support, the presence of a stable adult, internal locus of control, supportive spiritual beliefs and lack of self-blame regarding the trauma (Crenshaw, 2013; Brooks & Goldstein, 2004; Goldstein, Brooks, & Devries, 2013). This study explored whether the factors that previous research has identified as predictive of resilience have a similar predictive value when applied to another culture. This research …

Transition Outcomes Of Young Adults With Disabilities: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Perspective, Sabrina Michelle Singleton

Dissertations

Young adults with disabilities are impacted by the learning experiences they engage in as students that help shape their career development post-high school. Researchers have identified moderate-level transition predictors that improve post-school outcomes in employment, postsecondary education, and/or independent living. This study used the Social Cognitive Career Theory to examine if a relationship exists among race/ethnicity, gender, and disability type and transition predictors among young adults with disabilities in Mississippi who completed high school in May of 2013. Additionally, this study explored whether a relationship existed between career decision self-efficacy and engagement in employment or enrollment in postsecondary education. A …

Influence Of Personality On Emotional Contagion Through Social Media, Theodore T. Jensen

Honors Scholar Theses

The rapid growth of computers and computing technologies in the recent past has led to dramatic changes in modern social interactions. Connectivity through the internet and social networking sites is a massive part of people's lives, with younger generations learning to interact more and more through these means. It is necessary to recognize the emotional influence of these forms of communication- their influence on mental health will grow as they become a larger part of the social fabric. Facebook and other social media have been shown to be a form of emotional contagion; emotional states can be transferred from one …

The Intersection Of School Ethnic Composition And Structure: Predicting Social And Academic Outcomes Among Latino Students, Benjamin Pierce

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a persistent gap between the outcomes of Latino students and those of students from other ethnic groups in American schools. In part, this may be due to schooling practices in the American education system that have traditionally failed to cultivate positive contexts for ethnic diversity. Research studies involving focus groups, one-on-on interviews, and small samples of participants have suggested that sentiments of being unfairly treated by teachers and peers, of being stigmatized as low-achievers, and of cultural “incongruence” in schools are common among Latino students. However, quantitative studies involving large samples and sophisticated statistical techniques have produced few …

How Musical Oddballs Warp Psychological Time, Rhimmon Simchy-Gross

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oddballs—low-probability, attention-capturing expectancy violations—are judged as longer than non-oddballs, but are temporal intervals that contain oddballs judged as longer than those that do not? In 2 experiments, we tested competing model predictions using a novel and covert measure of subjective duration—musical imagery reproduction. Participants verbally estimated and reproduced with musical imagery repeated, coherent, or incoherent familiar or unfamiliar chord sequences (3.5 s, 7 s, or 12 s) that either did or did not contain dynamic auditory oddballs. Participants verbally estimated repeated chord sequences that contained oddballs as shorter than those that did not, but reproduced with musical imagery incoherent chord …

Impact Of Universal Social-Emotional And Behavioral Screening Among Middle School Students: A Multistage Approach To Identification, Kristen M. Ballinger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mental health problems often have an onset during the school age years and significantly impact the development, academic achievement, and future success of children and adolescents (Kessler et al., 2005). Less than half of the 10% to 20% of youth believed to be emotionally and behaviorally at-risk receive the mental health services they need (Bradshaw et al., 2008; Gresham, 2007). As a result, universal screening for mental health risk has been recommended as the best initial step to identifying and intervening with at-risk students. Numerous screeners and methods of implementation exist, but a widely accepted and utilized process has failed …

Inner Experience And Self-Ratings Of Inner Speaking, Jason Michael Kelsey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Questionnaires are often used as measures of inner experience. This study questions the adequacy of such measures, using inner speech as an example. We compared two questionnaire measures of inner speaking to each other and to inner experience as apprehended by Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES, a naturalistic, high fidelity method of exploring inner experience). Undergraduate volunteers (N = 260) took two questionnaires designed to measure inner speaking: the Self-Talk Scale (STS) and the Nevada Inner Experience Questionnaire (NIEQ). A subset of these (N = 16) participated in DES to investigate their inner speaking with fidelity. Scores on the NIEQ and …

The Lipstick Effect Operates At The Level Of Automatic Visual Attention, Aaron M. Bermond

Honors Theses

Although general consumer spending usually decreases during economic recessions, Hill and colleagues (2012) found evidence that women concerned with economic recession demonstrated an increased preference towards purchasing products capable of enhancing physical beauty, thereby allowing them to appear more attractive to mates with resources. Referring to this phenomenon as the lipstick effect, these researchers suggested such purchasing preferences demonstrate evidence for an evolved female mating strategy. The current study was designed to more directly test whether the lipstick effect represents an evolved female mating adaptation by determining if it operates at the level of automaticity, specifically automatic visual attention (Fodor, …

Elicited Vs. Recalled Narrative Skills In Kindergartners From Diverse Linguistic Backgrounds, Keke Kaikhosroshvili

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

Oral language proficiency is an area of deficit among English Language Learners (ELLs) that is more acute among ELLs from low Social Economic Standings (SES), attending Title I urban schools, than anywhere else. Narrative, as a form of discourse describing a single event, is considered to be an important and valid measure of language proficiency. The present study examined the narrative skills of kindergartners from diverse linguistic backgrounds to establish their levels of language proficiency, as a factor of narrative type. Two types of narratives were examined: 1) Recall, where the narrator requires good memory skills but may also benefit …

Post-Traumatic Growth In Cancer Survivors: Narrative Markers And Functions Of The Experience's Transformation, Maria Luisa Martino, Maria Francesca Freda

The Qualitative Report

The concept that a traumatic experience, such as a cancer, can lead to a positive change and transformation of self, life and relationships was named as post-traumatic growth (PTG). A large amount of research measured PTG in cancer survivors arguing an interpretation of the construct as an outcome. Recently, qualitative research shows different types of narrative of PTG, but the narrative markers and their functions of transformation remain still unclear. Within a mixed-method, we aim to highlight the narrative markers and their transformative functions, underlying the PTG, within 12 cancer survivors’ narratives with medium/high and medium/low level of PTG. A …