Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Caffeine On Spatial Learning And Memory, Romina G. Cupo

Theses

No abstract provided.

Mental Illness Stigma: An Examination Of The Effects Of Label And Gender On College Students Perceptions Of Depression And Alcohol Abuse, Chelsea P. Reichert

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Shared Musical Identity, Shared Family Identity, And Accommodation On Satisfaction In Parent/Young Adult Relationships, Ryan C. Hancock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the potential influence of shared musical identities of young adult children and their parents in relation to communicative and relational aspects of family, in order to determine whether musical tastes of individuals impact family relationships. In this research study, 196 college students reported on their perceptions of shared musical identity with their parents, shared family identity, parental accommodative communication behaviors, and family satisfaction. Results indicated that shared musical identity positively predicted perceptions of shared family identity, parental accommodative behaviors, including general accommodation, overaccommodation, topic management, and family satisfaction. Furthermore, shared musical identity and shared family identity positively …

Wild Justice Redux: What We Know About Social Justice In Animals And Why It Matters, Jessica Pierce, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

Social justice in animals is beginning to attract interest in a broad range of academic disciplines. Justice is an important area of study because it may help explain social dynamics among individuals living in tightly- knit groups, as well as social interactions among individuals who only occasionally meet. In this paper, we provide an overview of what is currently known about social justice in animals and offer an agenda for further research. We provide working definitions of key terms, outline some central research questions, and explore some of the challenges of studying social justice in animals, as well as the …

Discrepant Visual Speech Faciliates Covert Selective Listening In "Cocktail Party" Conditions, Jason A. Williams

Psychology and Child Development

The presence of congruent visual speech information facilitates the identification of auditory speech, while the addition of incongruent visual speech information often impairs accuracy. This latter arrangement occurs naturally when one is being directly addressed in conversation but listens to a different speaker. Under these conditions, performance may diminish since: (a) one is bereft of the facilitative effects of the corresponding lip motion and (b) one becomes subject to visual distortion by incongruent visual speech; by contrast, speech intelligibility may be improved due to (c) bimodal localization of the central unattended stimulus. Participants were exposed to centrally presented visual and …

The Kappa Opioid Agonist, Salvinorin A, Attenuates Locomotor Effects Of Morphine But Not Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference, Stacy Dianne Engebretson

Masters Theses

Salvinorin A (SA), a selective kappa opioid receptor agonist, is the main psychoactive ingredient in the plant Salvia divinorum. The addiction potential of this naturally occurring hallucinogen is currently under investigation using well-validated preclinical screening procedures, including conditioned place preference (CPP). The primary aim of the current study was to determine the effects of SA on CPP established by morphine in adult rats. A secondary aim was to determine if the vehicle used to dissolve SA, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), influenced the outcome of SA place conditioning. Rats were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: morphine (10 mg/kg) vs. …

Exposure To Potentially Traumatic Events, Emotional Adjustment, And Social Competence In Preschoolers Facing Economic Risk, Hillary Hurst

Graduate Masters Theses

The current study examined the relationship between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), emotional adjustment, and social competence in a sample of economically-disadvantaged, racially and ethnically diverse preschool-aged children (n=63; 60% female; average age = 52 months, S.D. = 10.30, range: 36-74 months). In this cross-sectional study, primary relationships between exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and exposure to PTEs and social competence were examined. Additionally, parent affective symptoms were tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and emotional adjustment was tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to …

Dimensions Of Individuals' Judgements About Sexual Attraction, Romantic Attachment, And Sexual Orientation, Luis F. Morales Knight

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite 150 years of scientific interest in sexual orientation, contemporary investigators grapple with a number of serious difficulties. A precise, unified definition of sexual orientation appropriate for scientific use continues to elude researchers, most likely because there is still no single coherent theory of sexual orientation. This lack impedes research into the measurement of sexual orientation. Existing measurements of sexual orientation rely on partial or incompletely empirical research. The present study identified promising avenues for development of credible definitions, theories, and measurements of sexual orientation: (a) mate-selection tasks; (b) the idea that bisexually-identified individuals place a lower priority on partner …

Lesbian/Queer/Same-Gender-Loving Women Graduate Students In Mental Health Related Fields: A Grounded Theory Of Attitudes Toward Transgender Individuals, Bonnie M. Benson

Dissertations

Transgender (trans) issues are an emerging area of research within counseling psychology. As such, little is known about how individuals form their attitudes toward trans people. Despite evidence that lesbian women are one group that has held biased views of the trans population, the literature has not addressed the perceptions that lesbian women have of trans individuals. Furthermore, the campus climate literature has attended to how LGBT students experience campus discrimination, but this literature has not addressed within-group differences, that is, attitudes and interactions among LGBT members of a university community, such as those between lesbians and trans people. The …

Promoting Understanding Of Informed Consent, Michael N. Reynolds

Masters Theses

Several studies have shown that research participants who have consented to participate in a study often have limited comprehension of the information presented in the informed consent process. This study compared performance on an end-of-study consent document information retention measure between a read-and-sign consent procedure control group and an enhanced consent procedure experimental group. The enhanced consent procedure consisted of a pre-consent educational module and a question-and-answer style consent document. The control group scored an average of 78.7% correct on the multiple-choice question measure of participant retention of information contained within the consent documents. The experimental group scored an average …

I'M The Same Me: Communication And Renegotiation Of Identity In The Weight-Loss Surgery Experiences Of Women, Heather D. Schild

Masters Theses

Adult obesity rates are on the rise in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (2009) which has led to an increase in obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Weight-loss surgery (WLS) has become accepted as a "cure" for obesity by the medical community. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese individuals electing to undergo WLS every year; 82% of these individuals are women (AHRQ, 2007). More women may be electing to undergo these procedures than men due to the pressures women face in American culture to achieve social standards of …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Yasp Intervention: Adolescent Substance Use Outcomes, Whitney Nicole Brown

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Issues of alcohol and drug use are more pronounced during adolescence than at any other period of the life span. There is currently a need for research focusing on evaluating developmentally appropriate interventions for adolescents at risk for substance use issues. The present study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of YASP (Youth Alternative Solutions Program), a hospital-based intervention program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. It is hypothesized that participation in YASP will decrease levels of substance use, change substance use outcome expectancies, decrease negative consequences resulting from substance use and increase participants sense of self-efficacy. A sample 27 adolescents …

Brief Heterogeneous Inpatient Groups: A Process-Oriented Psychoeducational Model, Wesley Cook

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In the U.S., we currently have an increase in admissions to psychiatric hospitals and a lack of research exploring inpatient group psychotherapy. Diagnostically homogeneous therapy groups outperform therapy groups with mixed symptoms, however, due to managed health care, psychiatric hospitals typically run brief duration, diagnostically heterogeneous groups. A review of the research literature was conducted in order to locate empirical studies that could offer treatment recommendations regarding how to facilitate brief duration, diagnostically heterogeneous inpatient psychotherapy groups. Although this review revealed little information about this specific type of group, common factors from inpatient studies were extracted. Based on a synthesis …

The Association Of Diet With Affect, Patricia Ann Ford

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with mental health yet few studies have examined whether foods protective or deleterious for cardiovascular disease affect mood. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between consumption of foods typical of Mediterranean and Western diets and fatty acids with positive and negative affect.

Adventist church attendees residing in North America completed a validated food frequency questionnaire in 2002-6 as part of the Adventist Health Study-2. A subset of these participants ^=9,121) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study conducted in 2006-7. …

Enhancement And Suppression Of Ultradian And Circadian Rhythms Across The Female Hamster Reproductive Cycle, Brian J. Prendergast, Annaliese K. Beery, Matthew J. Paul, Irving Zucker

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The impact of ovarian hormones on hamster ultradian rhythms (URs) is unknown. We concurrently monitored URs and circadian rhythms (CRs) of home cage locomotor activity during the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and lactation of Syrian hamsters. URs with a mean period of 4–5 h were evident during the dark phase in more than 90% of females on days 1 and 2 of the estrous cycle but were significantly less prevalent on cycle days 3 and 4. The period of the UR did not vary as a function of estrous cycle stage, but at all stages, the UR period was longer in …

Genetic Contributions To The Midsagittal Area Of The Corpus Callosum, Kimberley A. Phillips, J. Rogers, E. A. Barrett, D. C. Glahn, P. Kochunov

Psychology Faculty Research

The degree to which genes and environment determine variations in brain structure and function is fundamentally important to understanding normal and disease-related patterns of neural organization and activity. We studied genetic contributions to the midsagittal area of the corpus callosum (CC) in pedigreed baboons (68 males, 112 females) to replicate findings of high genetic contribution to that area of the CC reported in humans, and to determine if the heritability of the CC midsagittal area in adults was modulated by fetal development rate. Measurements of callosal area were obtained from high-resolution MRI scans. Heritability was estimated from pedigree-based maximum likelihood …

Global Prevalence Of Autism And Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mayada Elsabbagh, Gauri Divan, Yun-Joo Koh, Young Shin Kim, Shuaib Kauchali, Carlos Marcín, Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Vikram Patel, Cristiane S. Paula, Chongying Wang

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

We provide a systematic review of epidemiological surveys of autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) worldwide. A secondary aim was to consider the possible impact of geographic, cultural/ethnic, and socioeconomic factors on prevalence estimates and on clinical presentation of PDD. Based on the evidence reviewed, the median of prevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorders was 62/10 000. While existing estimates are variable, the evidence reviewed does not support differences in PDD prevalence by geographic region nor of a strong impact of ethnic/cultural or socioeconomic factors. However, power to detect such effects is seriously limited in existing data sets, particularly …

The Antihero In Popular Culture: A Life History Theory Of The Dark Triad, Peter K. Jonason, Gregory D. Webster, David P. Schmitt, Norman P. Li, Laura Crysel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Dark Triad of personality is composed of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Despite the common belief that these traits are undesirable, the media is awash with characters that embody the Dark Triad. Characters like Gregory House, M.D., Batman (a.k.a. the Dark Knight), and James BOND all embody these traits and are some of the most popular media franchises today. As entertaining as these characters are, they provide us with a window into the dark side of human nature. Instead of treating the dark side of human nature as inherently maladaptive, we provide an alternative view that, despite their costs, traits …

Objectification Theory And Sexual Health Among Women, Kara Lustig

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study used objectification theory as a framework through which to explore the effect of interpersonal objectification, self-objectification, and indicators of selfobjectification (body shame, general surveillance, and surveillance during sexual activity) on women’s sexual health, including sexual subjectivity (sexual body esteem, sexual selfreflection, and entitlement and efficacy in attaining pleasure), sexual functioning, and risky sexual behaviors. It was hypothesized that interpersonal objectification and selfobjectification adversely affect sexual health and that body shame, general surveillance, and surveillance during sexual activity would mediate these relations. Sexual subjectivity was also hypothesized to mediate the relations between interpersonal and selfobjectification and risky sexual behaviors …

Reserve Capacity Model And Metabolic Syndrome In Black And White Seventh-Day Adventists, Taylor L. Draper

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Past research has identified a robust, monotonic relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiac health. Psychosocial factors may contribute to SES-related gradients in cardiac health. The Reserve Capacity Model (RCM; Gallo & Matthews, 2003) is a framework for examining psychosocial pathways in cardiac health disparities on the SES gradient. The model posits that a lower SES experience leads to more environmental stressors and fewer psychosocial resources (e.g., reserve capacity) to cope with these stressors subsequently eroding health. A number of studies have used the RCM to explain SES-related disparities in cardiac health in Whites and Latinos; few examine the model …

Religiosity, Knowledge Of Evolution, And Political Ideology As Predictors Of Attitudes Towards The Evolution V. Creationism Controversy, Nikolaus Philip Schuetz

Theses (6 month embargo)

Since Darwin On the Origin of Species over 150 years ago, evolution via natural selection has gained essentially unilateral support among scientists, with 97% of scientists agree that life evolved over time, while a mere 12% to 29% of the general public accepts evolution via natural selection. About three-quarters of the public support teaching creationism in public school science classes--a violation of the First Amendment--and a recent survey shows that just 28% of high school biology teachers advocating for evolution in their classroom, as per the national guidelines.

The present study aims to investigate and clarify certain relationships that lead …

Physiological Politics: Stress And Dominance Responses To Political News, Erin Strauts

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Review Of Marianne Gullberg And Kees De Bot (Eds): Gestures In Language Development., Gale Stam

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Nicotine On Body Composition, Laura O'Dell

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Nicotine On Body Composition, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Levels Of Altruism, Martin Zwick, Jeffrey Alan Fletcher

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

The phenomenon of altruism extends from the biological realm to the human sociocultural realm. This paper sketches a coherent outline of multiple types of altruism of progressively increasing scope that span these two realms and are grounded in an ever-expanding sense of “self.” Discussion of this framework notes difficulties associated with altruisms at different levels. It links scientific ideas about the evolution of cooperation and about hierarchical order to perennial philosophical and religious concerns. It offers a conceptual background for inquiry into societal challenges that call for altruistic behavior, especially the challenge of environmental and social sustainability.

This talk was …

The Effects Of Rhes, A Striatal Specific Protein, On The Expression Of Behavioral And Neuropathological Symptoms In A Transgenic Mouse Model Of Huntington's Disease, Brandon A. Baiamonte

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by choreiform movement of the limbs, cognitive disability, psychosis and dementia. It is untreatable, incurable, and ultimately fatal. HD is invariably associated with an abnormally long CAG expansion within the IT15 gene on human chromosome 4. Although the mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt) is ubiquitously expressed in HD patients, cellular degeneration occurs only in neurons within the striatum and cerebral cortex. The Ras homolog Rhes is expressed very selectively in the precise brain areas affected by HD. Recent work using cultured cells suggests that Rhes may be a co-factor with mHtt in cell …

A Multigroup Analysis Of The Psychological Factors That Contribute To Persisting Working Attention Problems In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Chronic Pain, Kelly L. Curtis

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A significant subset of mild traumatic brain injury (mild TBI) and chronic pain (CP) patients report, and sometimes show objective evidence of, persisting cognitive problems. Despite differences in injury mechanisms, there is considerable overlap in the types of persisting cognitive symptoms that are reported by the two populations. Psychogenic, rather than physiogenic, factors are thought to play an important role in the maintenance of these persisting symptoms. The current investigation examined the contributions somatization, depression, and anxiety had on an objective measure of “working attention.” In order to best elucidate the influences these psychological factors had on attentional performance, only …

Efficacy Of Self-Care And Traditional Mental Health Counseling In Treating Vicarious Traumatization Among Counselors Of Hurricane Katrina Survivors, Mary Alice Many

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The population consisted of 9,000 Gulf Coast Licensed Professional Counselors. Surveys were returned by 609 participants. In the researcher-developed demographic survey, 586 individuals responded to the questions regarding age, gender, ethnicity, and years of counseling experience; 585 individuals responded to questions about exposure to prior trauma, and personal Katrina-related losses; 578 individuals responded to the question about the percentage of their work week that was spent counseling victims, and 579 individuals responded to questions regarding the type of mental health care strategy they participated in. There were 439 usable surveys for the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) (Weathers, Litz, Huska, & …

Deep Play, Urban Space, Adolescent Place: A Multi-Sited Study Of The Effects Of Settings On Adolescent Risk/Reward Behavior, Benjamin A. Shirtcliff

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The extant literature on the play behavior of youth normalizes adolescent behavior in public space as transgressional, resistant, and in need of social control. The dissertation counters this trend by looking to see if physical qualities, peer effects, and neighborhood context of settings play a deeper role in youth behavior. The study documented urban context, peer effects, physical features, and play behavior across 21 urban settings in New Orleans. Unobtrusive observations employed a highly innovative technique based on YouTube videos and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Coded observations of risk-taking and prosocial behavior demonstrated some stability in behavior amongst adolescents—“youth” …