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Therapeutic Communication From A Constructionist Standpoint, Kenneth J. Gergen, M. M. Gergen

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Expert Performance By Athletes In The Verbal Estimation Of Spatial Extents Does Not Alter Their Perceptual Metric Of Space, Frank H. Durgin, Keenan R. Leonard-Solis , '12, Owen T. Masters , '12, Brittany P. Schmelz , '12, Z. Li

Psychology Faculty Works

Athletes often give more accurate estimates of egocentric distance along the ground than do non-athletes. To explore whether cognitive calibration was accompanied by perceptual change, athletes and non-athletes made verbal height and distance estimates and also did a perceptual matching task between perceived egocentric distances and frontal vertical extents. Both groups were well calibrated for height estimation for poles viewed frontally, but athletes were much better calibrated at estimating longer egocentric distances (which are systematically underestimated by non-athletes). Athletes were more likely to have learned specific units of ground distance from relevant sports contexts. Both groups reported using human height …

A Comparison Of Two Theories Of Perceived Distance On The Ground Plane: The Angular Expansion Hypothesis And The Intrinsic Bias Hypothesis, Z. Li, Frank H. Durgin

Psychology Faculty Works

Two theories of distance perception-ie, the angular expansion hypothesis (Durgin and Li, 2011 Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 73 1856-1870) and the intrinsic bias hypothesis (Ooi et al, 2006 Perception 35 605-624)-are compared. Both theories attribute exocentric distance foreshortening to an exaggeration in perceived slant, but their fundamental geometrical assumptions are very different. The intrinsic bias hypothesis assumes a constant bias in perceived geographical slant of the ground plane and predicts both perceived egocentric and exocentric distances are increasingly compressed. In contrast, the angular expansion hypothesis assumes exaggerations in perceived gaze angle and perceived optical slant. Because the bias functions of …

Evaluating The Psychometric Properties Of The Attitudes Towards Depression And Its Treatments Scale In An Australian Sample, Fadia Isaac, Kenneth Greenwood, Mirella Di Benedetto

Research outputs 2012

Background: Individuals’ attitudes towards depression and its treatments may influence their likelihood of seeking professional help and adherence to treatment when depressed. Objective measures, such as the Attitudes Towards Depression and its Treatments scale (ATDT), have been developed to assess such attitudes. The aims of this research were to test the reliability and validity of ATDT on an Australian sample who were not depressed during the study or who had previously been depressed, to explore the attitudes of the Australian public towards depression, and to compare these attitudes to those of a Canadian sample of people with depression. Methods: A …

An Exploration Of The Experience And Social Construction Of Ageing: Perspectives From Older Adults In A Healthy Ageing Program And Those From Western Australian And Welsh Communities, Sasha A. Stumpers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent years, a strong focus has emerged towards developing and implementing guidelines, policies, governmental strategies and research agendas that best support a growing ageing population (United Nations, 1983, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2012; United Nations Programme on Ageing/International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2007; United Nations/Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2008; World Health Organization, 2002, 2004a). Locally in Western Australia (WA), nationally and internationally, this attention has culminated in a focus on promoting the notion of “healthy ageing” (Commonwealth of Australia, 1999; Commonwealth States and Territories, 2000; Office for Seniors Interests and Volunteering, 2006; U.S. Department of …

Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depressed Retirees: Developing And Testing A Clinical Treatment Manual, Sue G. Miller

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Most workers adjust well to retirement, but some experience depression due to poor adjustment. No evidence-based treatments were identified that targeted the developmental needs of this complex transition. In phase 1, a treatment manual (IPT-RM) was developed. The manual comprised an adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy. In phase 2, a pilot study was conducted to determine the treatment’s feasibility. A series of non-experimental AB singlecase studies was conducted with nine retirees. All research participants’ depressive symptoms receded into the non-depressed range by the end of the study. The IPT-RM treatment manual was developed to a Stage 1 level, which incorporated peer-reviewed …

The Transition Experience To Boarding School For Male Aboriginal Secondary School Students From Regional And Remote Communities Across Western Australia, David James Mander

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The experience of transitioning to boarding schools away from home for Aboriginal secondary school students from regional and remote communities in Australia has not received the attention it deserves (Calma, 2009; Dodson, 2009). The weight of public discourse and a paucity in research provided strong testimony for undertaking the current study. Moreover, it was evident the voice of those Aboriginal students undertaking the experience was absent from this public dialogue and the literature. This qualitative research investigated from a social constructionist perspective how 32 male Aboriginal secondary school students from regional and remote communities constructed meaning and understanding around the …

Deconstructing Sex: An In-Depth, Qualitative Exploration Of Women’S Sexual Experiences And Difficulties, Madalena Grobbelaar

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Epidemiological research on sexual difficulties in women has reported high rates of sexual problems and dissatisfaction across the lifespan. Nevertheless, feminist scholars and social science researchers argue that an absence of research exploring women’s subjective interpretations of their sexuality and sexual difficulties exists, since prevalence studies do not address how the range of diverse socio-cultural, relational, biological and psychological processes interact to influence women’s sexuality across the lifespan. The current study aimed to narrow this research dearth by presenting an in-depth, qualitative exploration of heterosexual women’s accounts of their sexual experiences and their perceived sexuality. A phenomenological approach was utilised …

Specific Dimensions Of Perceived Support And Ambulatory Blood Pressure: Which Support Functions Appear Most Beneficial And For Whom?, Wendy C. Birmingham, Kimberly S. Bowen, Bert N. Uchino, Mckenzie Carlisle, Timothy W. Smith, Kathleen C. Light

Faculty Publications

Perceived support has been related to lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the specific functional components of support responsible for such links. We tested if emotional, informational, tangible, and belonging support predicted ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and interpersonal interactions (e.g., responsiveness), and if such links were moderated by gender. In this study, 94 married couples underwent 12 h of ABP monitoring during daily life which included a night at home with their spouse. They completed a short-form of the interpersonal support evaluation list that provides information on total (global) support, as well as specific dimensions of …

How Does Noise Affect Amplitude And Latency Measurement Of Event-Related Potentials (Erps)? A Methodological Critique And Simulation Study, Scott A. Baldwin, Peter E. Clayson, Michael J. Larson

Faculty Publications

There is considerable variability in the quantification of event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes and latencies. Weexamined susceptibility of ERP quantification measures to incremental increases in background noise through publishedERP data and simulations. Measures included mean amplitude, adaptive mean, peak amplitude, peak latency, andcentroid latency. Results indicated mean amplitude was the most robust against increases in background noise. Theadaptive mean measure was more biased, but represented an efficient estimator of the true ERP signal particularly forindividual-subject latency variability. Strong evidence is provided against using peak amplitude. For latency measures,the peak latency measure was less biased and less efficient than the centroid latency …

Contributions Of Dynamic Systems Theory To Cognitive Development, John P. Spencer, Andrew Austin, Anne R. Schutte

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines the contributions of dynamic systems theory to the field of cognitive development, focusing on modeling using dynamic neural fields. A brief overview highlights the contributions of dynamic systems theory and the central concepts of dynamic field theory (DFT). We then probe empirical predictions and findings generated by DFT around two examples—the DFT of infant perseverative reaching that explains the Piagetian A-not-B error, and the DFT of spatial memory that explain changes in spatial cognition in early development. A systematic review of the literature around these examples reveals that computational modeling is having an impact on empirical research …

Predictor Variables Associated With Disclosure And Concealment Of Sexual Orientation, Annmarie Panarello

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined variables associated with the disclosure and concealment of sexual orientation. A non-experimental correlational design with a regression analysis used to test the following hypotheses: 1) The following independent variables, latter stage of identity development, lower internalized homophobia, more perceived social support, higher self-esteem, and lower presence of cognitive distortions will account for a statistically significant amount of the variance in the disclosure of sexual orientation. 2) The following independent variables, earlier stage of identity development, higher internalized homophobia, less perceived social support, low self-esteem, and higher presence of cognitive distortions will account for a statistically significant amount …

Death Anxiety Amongst Medical Facility Staff Working With Medically Fragile Individuals, Jacqueline Anne Chambers-Klein

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Death, an inevitable concept that connects us as humans, can cause significant anxiety in individuals. Literature suggests that some medical professionals choose the field because of their own inner struggles with death (Neimeyer et al., 2004). Archival interview data were utilized in this action- oriented research to explore the notion of death anxiety in professionals who are working with medically fragile children. Twenty-six employees were individually interviewed at a residential medical facility. Additionally, a retrospective journal was utilized to understand the author’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences during internship. In order to examine the potential categories and themes that the author …

Functional Outcomes In A Postacute Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, Esther Brahmstadt

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate functional outcomes among individuals with acquired brain injury who received treatment at a postacute brain injury rehabilitation program over a 3-year period (2008 to 2010). Participation in community and/or social roles, supervision required, and adaptive functioning outcomes were evaluated in a sample of 109 adults (71% male, 29% female; 88.1% White, 11.9% non-White; 67.9% injured at 18 years of age or older, 32.1% injured at under 18 years of age). Contrary to the hypotheses, there was a statistically significant increase in adaptive functioning and supervision required scores, suggesting increasing impairment over time. …

Visual Memory Improvement In Recognition, Allison Prandl

Theses : Honours

Fluid intelligence and working memory has been improved by training on a visual working memory n-back task (Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides & Perrig, 2008). The present study investigated whether n-back training can improve visual memory using a test of visual recognition. A sample of 47 participants were trained for 20 days on either the single n-back task (n = 26) or a general knowledge and vocabulary task (n = 21). The results showed that training using the single n-back task did not significantly increase scores on a test of visual recognition when compared with general knowledge and vocabulary training. However, when …

A Neurocomputational Account Of Cognitive Deficits In Parkinson's Disease, Sébastien Hélie, Erick J. Paul, F Gregory Ashby

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by the accelerated death of dopamine (DA) producing neurons. Numerous studies documenting cognitive deficits of PD patients have revealed impairments in a variety of tasks related to memory, learning, visuospatial skills, and attention. While there have been several studies documenting cognitive deficits of PD patients, very few computational models have been proposed. In this article, we use the COVIS model of category learning to simulate DA depletion and show that the model suffers from cognitive symptoms similar to those of human participants affected by PD. Specifically, DA depletion in COVIS produced deficits in rule-based categorization, …

Recognizing The Implicit And Explicit Aspects Of Ethical Decision-Making: Schemas, Work Climates, And Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Zachary Thomas Kalinoski

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

There were four purposes for this study. One purpose was to develop a direct assessment of individuals' ethical schemas for how to operate within work settings. I proposed structural assessment using Pathfinder as a means of measuring the structural network of ethical knowledge. I expected structural assessment to be a better means of assessing moral development within organizations than the Defining Issues Test (Rest, 1979). A second purpose was to examine the extent to which implicit aspects of the ethical decision-making process have differential effects on behavioral criteria than explicit aspects of ethical decision-making. A third purpose of this study …

Simulating The Effect Of Dopamine Imbalance On Cognition: From Positive Affect To Parkinson's Disease, Sebastien Helie, Erick J. Paul, F Gregory Ashby

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cools (2006) suggested that prefrontal dopamine levels are related to cognitive stability whereas striatal dopamine levels are related to cognitive plasticity. With such a wide ranging role, almost all cognitive activities should be affected by dopamine levels in the brain. Not surprisingly, factors influencing brain dopamine levels have been shown to improve/worsen performance in many behavioral experiments. On the one hand, Nadler and his colleagues (2010) showed that positive affect (which is thought to increase cortical dopamine levels) improves a type of categorization that depends on explicit reasoning (rule-based) but not a type that depends on procedural learning (informationintegration). On …

The Impact Of Spirituality On The Self-Reported Recovery Of Adults Who Experienced Childhood Trauma, Chijioke Alphonsus Chigbo

Wayne State University Dissertations

Objective: To examine whether adults who had experienced childhood trauma, and who had a higher sense of personal meaning or spirituality, would have improved mental health and lower trauma symptoms such as depression, lower self-esteem, anxiety, dissociative disabilities, PTSD, and the like.

Method: 115 participants were randomly selected from five mental health centers in the southeast of the State of Michigan of the United States. Each participant had an experience of one or multiple childhood abuses, namely: physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, child neglect or cumulative trauma. They had also been to treatment, and were between 18 and 60 …

The Effects Of Two Group Counseling Interventions On Arab-American High School Students' Perceptions Of Their Primary Relationships (Parent, Teacher, Peer), Nuzmeya Bader Elder

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study specifically investigated the effects of two group counseling interventions on Arab-American high school students' perceptions of the strength of their primary relationships (parent, teachers, and peers). It was designed to help high school students increase their acceptance of the culture of their host society and develop a sense of comfort so they can retain some of their own culture and Arab identity without feeling they will totally lose them. One approach was Choice group theory grounded in the reality of making choices concerning thoughts and behaviors. Choice Theory is described as the idea that people have mental images …

Fruit Of Faith, Fruit Of The Spirit, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

As contemporary behavioral scientists living and working within an often secular, scientific, and empirically focused world as well as being affiliated with rigorous academic institutions and research programs, we wonder if the fruits of the spirit have any empirical and scientific basis. Does engagement with religion and spirituality make us better people or make us worse?

Social Cognitive Functioning And Social Competence In Children And Adolescents With Spina Bifida And Hydrocephalus: Social Cognitive Neuroscience As A Model, Caitlin Reid Roache

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine social cognition in children with spina bifida and congenital hydrocephalus (SBH) and to determine whether deficits in these domains are associated with poor social competence, utilizing concepts from social cognitive neuroscience. To build upon extant literature, multi-method assessments, multi-informant data, and a developmental, biopsychosocial perspective were utilized. Distinct aspects of social competence, as defined by social performance, social skills, and social adjustment, were considered.

The current study was designed to investigate: (1) differences in social cognition between children and adolescents with SBH and the general population, (2) potential neuroanatomical predictors of …

How Drunk Am I? Misperceiving One’S Level Of Intoxication In The College Drinking Environment, Sean Grant, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac

Heads Up!

Objective

One effective event-level index that can assist in identifying risky intoxication levels among college students is blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Despite widespread exposure to BAC information, doubt exists as to whether American college students can accurately estimate their own BAC level or drinking behaviors while intoxicated. This study assessed whether students can accurately guesstimate their BAC level (gBAC) and drinking behaviors used to estimate BAC (eBAC) while drinking in social college settings

Method

Participants (N = 225; 56.4% male) consisted of emerging adults attending either a two- or four-year college who had at least one alcoholic drink within …

Parental Efficacy, Experience Of Stressful Life Events, And Child Externalizing Behavior As Predictors Of Filipino Mothers' And Fathers' Parental Hostility And Aggression., Aileen S. Garcia, Liane Peña Alampay

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This study assessed relations of parental efficacy, experience of stressful life events, and child externalizing behavior to Filipino mothers and fathers’ parental hostility and aggression. Orally-administered surveys were conducted with 117 mothers and 98 fathers for the first year of data collection, and again a year later with 107 mothers and 83 fathers. Path analyses showed that mothers’ report of child externalizing behavior predicted subsequent parental hostility and aggression. For fathers, child externalizing behavior and experience of stressful life events predicted parental hostility and aggression. Additionally, fathers’ parental efficacy was found to moderate the relationship between experience of stressful life …

Development And Evaluation Of An Ecological Display For The Detection, Evaluation, And Treatment Of Cardiovascular Risk, Timothy Ryan Mcewen

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ecological interface design (EID; Vicente & Rasmussen, 1992) is a discipline that emphasizes the necessity of understanding the laws and constraints of a domain in order to make meaningful design decisions. We applied EID principles to create an ecological interface aimed at helping physicians with the detection, evaluation, and treatment of cardiovascular disease risk (specifically for hypertension and hyperlipidemia) and then evaluated it in two exploratory studies. In the first study, twenty-three internal medical residents participated viewed data from twelve patients (in six blocks) in a repeated measures study that measured which risk factors participant felt required follow-up and if …

An Investigation Of Therapist Gender In The Intake Evaluation Of Male And Female Clients At College Counseling Centers, Harry Pitsikalis

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined gender as a potential contributing factor in the increase in psychopathology at college counseling centers. As university and college counseling centers are moving away from a developmental model and toward the medical model, the effect of gender and the increased use of the DSM-IVTR could influence the perception in an increase of psychopathology by mirroring DSM-IVTR base rates. This study attempted to discover if gender influenced therapists to diagnosed depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and adjustment disorders differently amongst the male and female clients. Results indicated that neither male therapists nor female therapists diagnosed depression, substance abuse …

The Role Of Relationships In Completed Suicide: A Gendered Analysis Of Suicide Notes, Kolina J. Delgado

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. As such, it has been described as a major health problem. In the United States the male to female suicide ratio is approximately 4:1. Comparative analyses of suicide between men and women are needed to provide a more complete understanding of the suicide phenomenon. The current study built upon the literature related to gender and the role of relationships in suicidality. Through the analysis of suicide notes written by individuals who completed suicide, this study provides new insight into the role of gender and interpersonal dynamics in suicide …

Executive Dysfunction In Autism And Asperger's Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Cognitive Planning, Ashley Jones Reno

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One of the most prominent theories of autism and Asperger's Disorder suggests that their symptoms arise from a primary deficit in executive functions (EF). While many researchers have argued that the executive dysfunction profile may be used as diagnostic support, there have been studies to suggest that autism and Asperger's Disorder may not be clearly differentiated from other clinical disorders on the basis of their executive functioning profiles (e.g., Booth, et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important to examine specific aspects of executive functioning (e.g., cognitive planning, etc.) among children diagnosed with autism and Asperger's Disorder in order to determine …

Examining The Social Distance Between Africans And African Americans: The Role Of Internalized Racism, Adaobi C. Iheduru

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

African immigrants are continuously migrating to the United States and comprise a major part of the immigrant population. In a recent U.S. Bureau of Census report on foreign-born residents in the United States, African immigrants numbered 364,000 out of 1.6 million foreign-born people of African origin living in the United States (Rong & Brown, 2002). Much of the psychological literature about immigration is framed in terms of issues of adjustment. (Ward & Kennedy, 2001). Despite the growing number of African immigrants and the awareness of incidents of acculturative stress and adjustment difficulties among various immigrant groups, there are limited studies …

Suicide As An Escape From Pain: An Analysis Of Suicide Notes And Case Files, Dustin R. Hamilton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Schneidman (1957) wrote that acts of suicide were attempts to escape from unbearable and intense psychological pain, or "psychache." In this study, we analyzed suicides wherein we determined that the primary motivation for the suicidal act was escape from physical or psychological pain. The analysis incorporated information regarding the content of suicide notes, investigators' reports, and databases from an urban Midwestern metropolitan area coroner's office. The analysis contained demographics, expressed life problems of the decedents, characteristics of the suicide, suicide note contents and suicide note themes. We found that the samples in which escape was determined as the primary motivation …