Digital Commons Network^™

Graduate Online Bulletin, 2011-2012 (2011), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

What Are We Studying? Student Jurors, Community Jurors, And Construct Validity, Stacie R. Keller, Richard L. Weiner

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Jury researchers have long been concerned about the generalizability of results from experiments that utilize undergraduate students as mock jurors. The current experiment examined the differences between 120 students (55 males and 65 females, mean age = 20 years) and 99 community members (49 males and 50 females, mean age = 42 years) in culpability evaluations for homicide and sexual assault cases. Explicit attitude measures served as indicators of bias for sexual assault, defendant, and homicide adjudication. Results revealed that student and community participants showed different biases on these general explicit attitude measures and these differences manifested in judgments of …

Preference And Tranquility For Houses Of Worship, Thomas R. Herzog, Lauren E. Gray, Amy M. Dunville, Angela M. Hicks, Emily A. Gilson

Peer Reviewed Articles

Participants rated houses of worship for one of seven variables: preference, tranquility, age, visual richness, building care, potential for recovery from fatigued attention, and potential for reflection. Factor analysis of the preference ratings yielded four content categories: “contemporary,” “traditional,” “unusual architecture,” and “older red brick churches.” Preference was positively correlated with visual richness and building care in the contemporary and traditional categories and had a positive partial correlation with age in the traditional category. Tranquility was positively correlated with preference, building care, recovery, and reflection in the contemporary category but only with reflection in the traditional category. Tranquility was rated …

To Tell Or Not To Tell: Predictors Of Disclosure And Privacy Settings Usage In An Online Social Networking Site (Facebook), Amanda Nosko

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Use of social networking sites has grown exponentially over the last decade. Facebook, a popular social networking site, currently boasts membership of over 500 million users (www.facebook.com). In the present research, four studies were conducted to examine factors that impact on self-disclosure and privacy settings use. The primary goal for Studies 1 A, B and C involved developing methods for organizing and understanding the information that individuals disclose through social networking sites. Specifically, in Study 1 A, a scoring tool was developed in order to comprehensively assess the content of the personal profiles. In Study 1 B, grouping categories (default/standard …

An Approach To Engagement With Youth In Gangs Participatory Action Projects, Lisa Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of engaging youth who have been involved with gangs in the context of a local street gang prevention project. A case study of the local project was conducted with interviews with twelve (N= 12) participants, most of whom were project staff Interviews were conducted by the author and two youth co-researchers. Findings illustrate the meaning of youth engagement to the participants, ideal roles for staff members and youth, and the relevance of a youth advisory committee as an outlet for future engagement in this program. Based on these …

The Internalization Of Mathematics Stereotypes In Elementary School Children, Amanda Schell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated mathematics-related gender stereotypes, internalization of these stereotypes in 2nd and 5th grade children, and whether there is a relationship between internalization and the underperformance of girls in mathematics. There is evidence that gender stereotype internalization occurs throughout elementary school with an increasing impact on girls’ mathematical competence and performance (e.g., Muzzatti & Agnoli, 2007). However, there has been no definite determination with respect to the point at which this process begins. Parents and teachers have displayed gender stereotypical beliefs concerning children as young as three years of age (Lee & Schell, under review). This factor can influence …

Risks And Safety For Australian Children On The Internet: Full Findings From The Au Kids Online Survey Of 9-16 Year Olds And Their Parents, Leila Green, Danielle Brady, Kjartan Olafsson, John Hartley, Catharine Lumby

Research outputs 2011

This report presents the AU findings for research in Australia which parallels the EU Kids Online project (see www.eukidsonline.net). Specifically, it includes selected findings, calculated and interpreted for Australia only, but with some comparisons made with the survey data and analysis reported in Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., and Ólafsson, K. (2011). Risks and safety on the internet: The perspective of European children. Full Findings. LSE, London: EU Kids Online, and comparisons with some country reports of the 25 nations participating in EU Kids Online II. The Australian research was funded by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative …

Considering Care: Infant Teachers, Reflective Function And The Care Environment In Child Care Centers, Cynthia C. Jurie

Dissertations

The present study sought to explore infant teachers' understanding of the mental states of the infants in their care in child care centers. The goal of the study was to examine whether reflective function could be assessed through semi-structured interviews with infant teachers and whether the care environment of the center was

influential in supporting reflective capacity. To assess the care environment provided by the child care center, director interviews, teacher and director questionnaires and subscales of the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale, Revised (Harms, Cryer &

Clifford, 2003) were used. Participants in this study were 25 infant teachers and 24 …

Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment For Incarcerated Youth: A Mixed Method Pilot Study, Sam Himelstein

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The current study investigated the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based substance use intervention

on self-reported impulsiveness, perceived drug risk, and healthy self-regulation in a sample of 60

incarcerated youth. Forty-eight participants completed questionnaires pre and post intervention.

Additionally, 16 participants from two of the final 8-week cohorts were interviewed in focus groups

about their experience of the program immediately following its completion. A mixed-method

embedded model was used, in which qualitative data was used in support of quantitative data. Paired

t-tests revealed a significant decrease (p < .01) in impulsiveness and a significant increase (p < .05)

in perceived risk of drug use from pretest to posttest. No …

Rethinking Prayer And Health Research: An Exploratory Inquiry On Prayer’S Psychological Dimension, Adrian Andreescu

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

A brief literature review of cancer survival trials is employed by the author to raise questions

on their design and to bring speculatively into discussion concepts such as “worldview”,

“intentional normative dissociation”, and “psychosomatic plasticity-proneness”. Using prayer’s

psychological dimension as a way to unite such elements opens new fertile perspectives on

the academic study of prayer and health. In this context, it is suggested that a consistent

interdisciplinary research agenda is required in order to understand those biopsychosocial

factors interconnected within the process and outcome of prayer before attempting to

decipher the big answers laying dormant probably within the transpersonal …

Introduction To Special Topic Section: Ecopsychology’S Roots In Humanistic And Transpersonal Psychology, The Deep Ecology Movement, And Ecocriticism, Mark Schroll, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

Stereotype Threat And Minority Students' Academic Achievement, Clédicianne Dorvil

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This action oriented research project presents a manualized program that can be used in the school setting to remediate stereotype threat. A meta-analytic review was conducted in order to identify evidenced-based interventions that intervened on stereotype threat effects. The findings from the meta-analysis were utilized to create the manual for the Study Skills Group. A pilot study was conducted with middle and high-school aged individuals to evaluate the efficacy of the program. Pre and post program evaluation forms were utilized to monitor change during the course of the program. The Study Skills Group manual received positive ratings for the session …

Modeling Mass Care Resource Provision Post Hurricane, Tammy Marie Muhs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Determining the amount of resources needed, specifically food and water, following a hurricane is not a straightforward task. Through this research effort, an estimating tool was developed that takes into account key demographic and evacuation behavioral effects, as well as hurricane storm specifics to estimate the number of meals required for the first fourteen days following a hurricane making landfall in the State of Florida. The Excel based estimating tool was created using data collected from four hurricanes making landfall in Florida during 2004-2005. The underlying model used in the tool is a Regression Decision Tree with predictor variables including …

The Effectiveness Of Virtual Humans Vs. Pre-Recorded Humans In A Standardized Patient Performance Assessment, Joel Palathinkal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Standardized Patient (SP) is a trained actor who portrays a particular illness to provide training to medical students and professionals. SPs primarily use written scripts and additional paper-based training for preparation of practical and board exams. Many institutions use various methods for training such as hiring preceptors for reenactment of scenarios, viewing archived videos, and computer based training. Currently, the training that is available can be enhanced to improve the level of quality of standardized patients. The following research is examining current processes in standardized patient training and investigating new methods for clinical skills education in SPs. The modality …

The Use Of Video Game Achievements To Enhance Player Performance, Self-Efficacy, And Motivation, Lucas Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A taxonomy of achievement design features that exist currently in video game systems was created in order to evaluate the current the state of the art in achievement design. From the taxonomy of design features multiple mechanisms of action that influence player behavior were identified. These mechanisms lead to a predictive model that can guide the designs of achievements in order to improve performance, self-efficacy and motivation in players. Expected, unexpected, and incremental achievements were tested. Notifications occurring before and after earning an achievement were also tested. In addition to testing individual mechanisms of action a “combined achievement” was created …

How Priming Of Behavioral Symptoms May Affect College Students’ Decision To Diagnose, Caitlen Gilley, Sarah Stertz

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Two disorders that have increased in diagnosis and in media awareness in the past two decades are Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism. Psychologists use priming as a tool to test availability of schemas and concepts. The current study focuses on how priming of ADHD and autism symptoms affects college students’ diagnoses of the corresponding disorder. Also considered is that the control group will diagnosis ADHD more often because of the vast media awareness of ADHD today. The participants in this study were male and female undergraduates at South Dakota State University. There was no significance found for the two …

Profiling Executive Dysfunction In Adolescents With Autism, Nicole R. Rogers

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Executive Functions (EF) have been assigned a causative role in a number of disorders, including schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, violent and criminal behavior, and nearly all learning disabilities. While the term executive functions in the professional literature easily yields more than 150 references, empirical research in which executive functions are studied and linked with specific disorders, such as autism, continues to help answer long-held questions about the disorder and adds to the literature base in order to better understand and treat the disorder. The purpose of this study was to review archival data collected using the Behavior …

Effectiveness Of Parent Call-In Versus E-Counseling Services Intreating Pediatric Behavior Problems Uncovered In A Primary Care Medical Encounter, Tabitha Becker

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Perceived Risks And Benefits Of Emerging Technologies In Professional Psychology , R Adam Dickey

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

The Claremont Autism Center, Alex E. Mitchell Mr.

CMC Senior Theses

The Claremont Autism Center is a 23 minute documentary on the strengths and benefits the Center brings to Claremont McKenna students, as well as children and families from the Inland Empire that deal with Autism on a daily basis.

Managing The Millennials: Employee Retention Strategies For Generation Y, Nicholas W. Thompson

CMC Senior Theses

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Millennials' beliefs and attitudes and how that will affect their conception of the employer-employee psychological contract. This analysis should provide a greater understanding of how the childhoods of Millennials have affected their attitudes for life and career aspirations. Further, it explores retention strategies for workplace culture, management style, and growth and advancement.

Rhetorical Weapons: The Social And Psychological Influences Of Language And Labeling In Instances Of Genocide, Emma C. Jones

CMC Senior Theses

It is difficult to understand why genocide continues to occur, even when the international community pledges never to let it happen in the future. Techniques such as moral disengagement and dehumanization have consistently resulted in genocide. These techniques can be greatly amplified through the careful use of language and labeling. The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles that language and labeling play in genocide. Social and psychological influences that use language will be investigated through the examination of the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide and the Rwandan genocide. These influences are many times unintentionally or unknowingly exercised and …

Exploring The Flynn Effect: A Comprehensive Review Of The Causal Debate, Abby J. Trimble

CMC Senior Theses

Since its discovery in 1984, psychological investigators have continued to explore the Flynn Effect, the phenomenon of consistent and secular IQ gains within industrialized nations approximating 0.3 points per year. The most contentious debate within this field of research surrounds the purported cause of the Effect, and yet the research literature lacks a synthesis of the leading causal theories and the evidence supporting them. The principal hypothesized causal mechanisms – psychometric artifact, educational intervention, environmental changes, nutrition, genetics, gene-environment interaction model, medical improvements, and the multiplicity hypothesis – are reviewed and analyzed within the larger breadth of Flynn Effect scholarly …

Emotional Brand Attachment: Marketing Strategies For Successful Generation, Katie Bilotti

CMC Senior Theses

Modern society is structured around consumption. The climate of the current consumer culture is one of intense competition. In order to differentiate their brands and products, companies are beginning to focus on differentiating their brands on the basis of distinctive emotional, rather than functional, characteristics. Emotional brand attachment is defined as the bond that connects a consumer with a specific brand by involving feelings of affection, passion, and connection. When established, emotional brand attachment is a powerful tool for building brand equity and influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers. This paper explores the marketing tactics utilized by Dove brand and …

Work Attribute Importance And Loyalty Intention: Millennial Generation Psychological Contract, Laura M. Bottorff

CMC Senior Theses

This study investigated the importance that junior and senior job-seeking undergraduates (Millennial generation members) place on transactional and relational work attributes; how ratings vary by gender, experiences with layoff, and intended loyalty; and how well ratings match with actual attributes offered by organizations. Results are discussed in context of psychological contract theory. Students (n = 199) and recent graduates working full-time (n = 180) took separate online survey. Students indicated the importance of various work attributes (Ng, Schweitzer, & Lyons, 2010), loyalty intentions, and other related questions. Graduates answered only work attribute questions related to their current employer. Work attributes …

The Impact Of Structured Group Counseling On Resiliency, Self-Efficacy, And Racialidentity Among African American Female Teenagers, Lashonda B. Fuller

Dissertations

African American female teenagers are at-risk for low academic achievement as well as personal and social problems. These concerns have the potential to impact their psychological development including resiliency, self-efficacy, and racial identity. This is an issue that needs focused attention. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to determine if a structured group counseling model effectively impacts African American female teenagers‟ resiliency, self-efficacy, and racial identity. The researcher conducted four structured counseling groups over a period of 20 weeks; however, the teenagers participated in consecutive 10 week sessions. The treatment was applied to two groups simultaneously, and the groups …

Jamaican American Child Disciplinary Practices, Stephaney Carter

Dissertations

Little is known about child disciplinary practices in Jamaican American families. Literature on child discipline in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations has mainly focused on physical discipline, and no empirical studies have investigated the types of discipline used in the Jamaican American community. The purpose of this study was to describe current child disciplinary practices in Jamaican American families. A total of 311 primarily first-generation Jamaican American parents from New York City completed the 54-item Jamaican Child Discipline Survey, designed for this study, either online or in paper-pencil format. The main foci of the study included the use of child …

Testing The Effectiveness Of An Interactive Multimedia System To Train Clinicians In Behavioral Activation, Suzanne E. Decker

Dissertations

Although many treatments for mental health disorders have been found to be effective in research, community clinicians may not receive training in such empirically supported treatments, and therefore, individuals suffering from disorders may not have access to empirically supported treatment in the community. This study examined the use of an interactive multi-media computerized therapy program, Building a Meaningful Life through Behavioral Activation, as a training tool for mental health clinicians (N=21) using a pre-post study design. Participating clinicians were invited to complete this computer program over the course of several weeks, and to complete knowledge quizzes and written responses …

Evaluating The Impact Of Small-Group Discussion On Learning In Anorganizational Psychology Class Utilizing A Classroom Response System, Thorhallur Orn Flosason

Dissertations

A classroom response system is a technology that allows individual students to clickers favorably. The second study showed that clicker use during lecture was associated with higher exam scores, but that relationship can be interpreted in several different ways, some of which are not tied to active responding. The implications of these findings with respect to previous research are discussed. provide answers to questions posed by the instructor during lecture using hand held remotes (clickers) that transmit a signal to the instructor's computer via a receiver and computer software (Judson & Sawada, 2002). This instructional technology is widely used in …

Understanding The Dimensions Of Spirituality In Caucasian Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual College Students, Michele L. Mcgrady

Dissertations

Spiritual development is a critical task for college students, but there is a paucity of information about how college students understand the construct of spirituality. Historically, organized religion has been oppressive to the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community. Furthermore, little is known about the spiritual understandings and spiritual experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students. This quantitative investigation sought to understand the underlying dimensions of spirituality for Caucasian LGB college students through the use of multidimensional scaling. Sixty Caucasian LGB college students were recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling. Findings indicate three dimensions of spirituality for this sample: …