Digital Commons Network^™

Auditory-Phonetic Projection And Lexical Structure In The Recognition Of Sine-Wave Words, Robert E. Remez, Kathryn R. Dubowski, Robin S. Broder, Morgana L. Davids, Yael S. Grossman, Marina Moskalenko, Jennifer Pardo, Sara Maria Hasbun

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Speech remains intelligible despite the elimination of canonical acoustic correlates of phonemes from the spectrum. A portion of this perceptual flexibility can be attributed to modulation sensitivity in the auditory-to-phonetic projection, although signal-independent properties of lexical neighborhoods also affect intelligibility in utterances composed of words. Three tests were conducted to estimate the effects of exposure to natural and sine-wave samples of speech in this kind of perceptual versatility. First, sine-wave versions of the easy and hard word sets were created, modeled on the speech samples of a single talker. The performance difference in recognition of easy and hard words was …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Peer Victimization, Self-Esteem, Depression, And Anxiety Among Adolescents: A Test Of Cognitive Diathesis-Stress Theory, Cixin Wang

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

This study examined the relationship between two types of peer victimization(overt and relational victimization), depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and selfesteem over three time points. Participants were 1171 fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth graders (623 females) recruited from four elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools in the Midwest. Students’ self-report on peer victimization, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem was collected. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the relationship among those variables. The results showed that self-esteem mediated the relationship between two types of peer victimization and depressive symptoms. Self-esteem was found to mediate the relationship …

Adaptive Significance Of Natural Variations In Maternal Care In Rats: A Translational Perspective, Annaliese K. Beery, Darlene D. Francis

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

A wealth of data from the last fifty years documents the potency of early life experiences including maternal care on developing offspring. A majority of this research has focused on the developing stress axis and stress-sensitive behaviors in hopes of identifying factors impacting resilience and risk-sensitivity. The power of early life experience to shape later development is profound and has the potential to increase fitness of individuals for their environments. Current findings in a rat maternal care paradigm highlight the complex and dynamic relation between early experiences and a variety of outcomes. In this review we propose adaptive hypotheses for …

Childhood Depressive Symptoms: Comparison Of Diverse Medical Diagnoses, Ida Babakhanyan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Childhood depression is a serious problem and has long term implications including increased risk for suicide and comorbid conditions. In addition, depressed children are at greater risk for social difficulties, non-compliance to medical regime, and academic difficulties. Children undergoing a medical illness are at increased risk for developing depression, however, there have been few recent studies looking at emotional distress for this population. With thousands of children hospitalized every day, assessing for depressive symptoms is important in order to provide proper referrals and treatment recommendations following discharge. The purpose of the current study was to increase understanding of pediatric depression …

The Association Of Religious Coping On Reports Of Low Back Pain And Inflammatory Markers, Jacqueline D. Bougie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic pain is the most common cause of disability in the United States with depression, anxiety, and stress often occurring co-morbidly. The purpose of the study was to explore how religion may modulate the frequency of back pain, influence inflammatory markers, influence the use of medications, and impact functional ability.

Participants were from the Biological Manifestations of Religion Study (BioMRS; N= 508) and the Psychological Manifestations of Religion Study (PsyMRS; N = 10,988). All participants completed a 20-page questionnaire and BioMRS participants provided blood, salivary, and urine samples, performance tests, and learning tests all collected within 1 week of …

The Relationship Between Sleep And Bmi In Cal Poly Freshman, Jacqueline Laing

Psychology and Child Development

To understand the relationship between BMI and sleep patterns in Cal Poly Freshman (First years) over the course of their first year at Cal Poly. First year students were recruited via campus email to fill out a survey regarding various health aspects. The survey was filled out at the beginning of the year (Fall 2009), and again in June (Spring 2010). The questions used in this study only pertained to height, weight, sleep quantity, and sleep quantity satisfaction rating. The results were not significant for the cross sectional analysis of the Fall 2009 sample and the Spring 2010 sample. The …

Let’S Get Serious: Communicating Commitment In Romantic Relationship Formation, Joshua M. Ackerman, Vladas Griskevicius, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Are men or women more likely to confess love first in romantic relationships? And how do men and women feel when their partners say “I love you”? An evolutionary– economics perspective contends that women and men incur different potential costs and gain different potential benefits from confessing love. Across 6 studies testing current and former romantic relationships, we found that although people think that women are the first to confess love and feel happier when they receive such confessions, it is actually men who confess love first and feel happier when receiving confessions. Consistent with predictions from our model, additional …

The Role Of Religion And Spirituality In Counseling, Tiffany Nickles

Psychology and Child Development

While the 20^th century has simultaneously brought about a growth in counseling and a reemergence of secularism, counseling in the 21^st century has focused its attention on interventions that are sensitive to multicultural facets in clients’ lives. As professionals increasingly embrace multicultural competency in counseling and therapy, religion and spirituality arguably stand out as cultural and personal factors that are a salient part of framing one’s experiences, beliefs, values, behavior, and illness patterns. Despite the growing understanding of the pervasiveness and importance of spirituality and religion, most psychologists have little training in dealing with religious and spiritual issues. …

Creativity In The Brazilian Culture, Denise S. Fleith

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Research has pointed out creativity as a sociocultural and contextually embedded phenomenon. As a consequence, the effect of cultural factors on the manifestation of creativity has been discussed worldwide. The purpose of this chapter is, therefore, to analyze the development of creativity in the Brazilian culture. A brief description of the Brazilian culture is provided. Models of creativity developed by Brazilian researchers, as well as a review of creativity studies conducted in the educational environment, are presented. Guidelines for future cross-cultural studies on creativity are also suggested.

Role Of Cortisol In Social And Memory Impairments In Individuals With Velocardiofacial Syndrome (Vcfs), Daniel Jacobson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Velocardiofacial Syndrome (VCFS) is a genetic disorder characterized by numerous physiological and psychological symptoms. Little is known regarding the neuropsychological and hormonal substrates and the social functioning in individuals with VCFS. There is some evidence to suggest that the stress hormone cortisol contributes to social, cognitive, and communication deficits in related populations (Corbett, Schupp, Levine, & Mendoza, 2009). This study investigated the role that cortisol has on the social and cognitive impairments observed in children with VCFS. To this end, 11 children with confirmed VCFS were assessed for baseline cortisol levels and received neuropsychological testing that assessed attention, memory, language, …

Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard

Honors Theses

A quasi experiment was conducted to examine functional fixedness and creative problem solving. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify differences in cognitive ability between recyclers and non recyclers. This researcher investigated whether recycling group affiliation or priming for functional fixedness would affect task performance among college students. A tower building activity was developed for this study to determine if members of a college recycling group, the Eco-Reps, would complete a problem solving activity faster than non Eco-Reps. Some participants in each group were primed for functional fixedness. This researcher hypothesized that Eco-Reps would complete the task …

What Do You Expect? : An Investigation Of How Caffeine Expectancies Affect College Students' Cognitive Performances, Katie Alyse Berg

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Caffeine use is common, but few studies have examined how the expectancies that people hold about caffeine relate to the effects they experience after consuming it. My study examined how typical caffeine consumption and students' expectancies about how caffeine generally affects them influence their decisions about caffeine use as well as their performance on memory and attention tests. I hypothesized that expectations about how caffeine affects students would interact with their beliefs about how much caffeine they had consumed to impact performance on tests of attention and memory. Undergraduate students were divided into four groups: high consumption and high expectancy, …

How Sweet Is It, Really? The Anomalous Effects Of Glucose At Retrieval, Sarah A. Gillott

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

151 participants gave free recall and probed response memories for best kisses and The Lion King. Blood-glucose levels were manipulated at retrieval with glucose (50g) or saccharin (35mg) in the form of a lemonade drink. Memories for best kisses were more elaborate than memories for The Lion King. This may be due to the fact that best kiss memories were rated as more arousing than film memories. Regardless, high blood-glucose levels as a result of glucose consumption significantly impaired autobiographical kiss memory, yet enhanced semantic memory for The …

The Effects Of A Brief Mindfulness Intervention On Impulsivity In College Students, Myles Elgin Trapp

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study investigated the impact of a brief, introductory mindfulness intervention on attention, executive control, and impulsivity. I randomly assigned forty-seven undergraduate students to a treatment group (TG) receiving mindfulness training and a waiting list control group (WLG). Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and standardized neuropsychological tests before and after the intervention. Participants high in trait mindfulness suffered less interference on a Stroop task, were less impulsive on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, but also evidenced less cognitive flexibility on a dual fluency test at baseline. The TG demonstrated greater improvement than the WLG from baseline to re-test …

Parent-Child Communication About Substance Use: Experiences Of Latino Emerging Adults, Kathryn Reid-Quiñones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current studies was to identify messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring about the use of legal and illegal drugs and to determine associations between parental messages and substance use outcomes. Previous research has identified parent-child communication as protective against tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. However, most of these studies have failed to examine the specific messages communicated and those that have focused almost exclusively on non-Hispanic Caucasians. Study 1 identified messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring regarding legal and illegal drugs through two focus groups with Latino college students (N = …

Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Life after treatment for cancer has become a primary focus for health service provider communities as the number of individuals living longer grows. The medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors have been prominent in the popular and scientific literature. A major focus for psychologists has been the relationships and social support networks of individuals diagnosed with cancer. The current study explored a recent phenomenon within this realm, the use of Internet resources for online support. The purpose of this study was to compare social support received online and social support received offline among people diagnosed with cancer who use …

Temperament-Language Relationships During The First Formal Year Of School., Natasha Benfield Gouge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate temperament-language relationships among school-age children and across a wider variety of SES. Head Start, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classes of 10 elementary schools located in rural Appalachia were sent information about the study and 35 children were consented to participate. Parents completed a short demographic survey and the Child Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form (CBQ-VSF). Children were administered the Preschool Language Scale-4 (PLS-4). Participants were split into low and high SES groups so associations between the CBQ and PLS-4 scores could be compared at each SES strata. Both reactivity and self-regulation were …

Distance Judgments For Joint Action: The Perceptual Consequences Of Anticipated Coordination, Benjamin R. Meagher

Master's Theses

Recent perception research has revealed that judgments of distance are influenced by the energetic cost required to perform particular actions, such as walking, across these distances (Proffitt, 2006b). However, this prior research has focused almost exclusively on the perceptual consequences of solo action, despite the fact that individuals regularly become embedded within social units for the purpose of joint action (Richardson, Marsh, & Schmidt, 2005). In two experiments, the current work sought to test the hypothesis that forming a social unit creates a new perception-action system with distinct perceptual attunement of the environment scaled to the unit’s action-potential. Participants, accompanied …

Diel Periodicity In Activity And Location In The Web Of The Common House Spider (Achaearanea Tepidariorum)., Elise Wolf

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Circadian rhythm is a type of endogenous clock that controls daily behavioral patterns in most organisms. Spiders have been shown to exhibit both circadian and non-circadian rhythms in their behaviors. This rhythmicity may allow spiders to cope with diel changes in environmental conditions. Both diurnal and nocturnal behavior have different sets of costs and benefits to a species’ survival. Achaearanea tepidariorum is one species in which potential circadian rhythmicity has never been studied. Due to its foraging behavior, it was predicted that its daily activity would be arrhythmic. We recorded the positions within the web of forty individuals throughout the …

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Social Influence: An Empirical Comparison Of Two Theoretical Models, Chauncy Thomas Brinton

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The relationship between social influence and self-esteem was examined in two studies from the lens of two different theoretical approaches, Leary’s sociometer theory and Henriques’ Unified Theory of Psychology (HUTP). Whereas sociometer theory contends that self-esteem functions completely as a barometer of relational value, HUTP posits that human self-esteem should also be significantly influenced by the cultural context, especially the extent to which self-enhancement is justified. This conception leads to the prediction that socialization will influence self-esteem, after controlling for social influence. Specifically, individuals socialized to self-enhance should demonstrate higher levels of self-esteem after controlling for social influence. Two studies …

Finding Balance: School-Based Yoga Programs For The Prevention And Reduction Of Anxiety, Jessica Dawn Aaron

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Children and adolescents experience anxiety to varying degrees; levels vary from healthy and motivating to clinically elevated and debilitating. At present, anxiety disorders are most commonly treated through psychopharmacology and cognitive behavioral therapy. This thesis contains a brief literature review of these existing treatments, followed by a presentation of the emerging support for mindfulness-based yoga programs, highlighting a particular opportunity for school-based mental health providers. Keywords: yoga, anxiety, wellness, prevention, school-based, holistic care.

Substance Abuse And School Counseling, Katherine A. Baird

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

School counselors are in a unique position to address substance abuse issues in schools and communities. School counselors may work with students who have substance abuse problems, therefore, it is essential for school counselors to be aware of the research on substance abuse. It is also essential for school counselors to have a sense of what interventions to use with students who are abusing drugs and/or alcohol. The purpose of this project is to: examine the latest research on substance abuse as it relates to youth; examine the role of the school counselor in substance abuse assessment and treatment; and …

Resilience Through Attending To The Power Of The Mind, Jennifer Dawn Behm

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract The science of psychological genomics, otherwise known as epigenetics, demonstrates how thoughts and emotions affect our physiology and even our genes. Genetic expression is a determining factor in many physical diseases and mental conditions. There is recent evidence that suggests that effective resilience-focused counseling may enable genes to express themselves in salubrious ways, frequently averting disease. Early counseling interventions can eliminate a future need for more costly invasive medical procedures. People can be mentally and physically healed when they are ministered to in their totality. The science of epigenetics has profound ramifications for all in the healing professions including …

Gender Identity Construction With Transsexuals Experiencing Liminality: A Case Study And Considerations For Counselors, Sarah Miller Spence

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper presents a case study of Bethany, a Male to Female (MtF) transsexual, and her experience of gender reconstruction following sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) in 2003. A series of interviews and observations occurred with Bethany in 2004 and the concept of liminality is discussed in relation to various themes gathered from the interviews and observations such as rigidity versus openness of gender roles and sexuality, traditional versus progressive relationships, control versus submissiveness of gender construction and sexuality, fantasy versus reality in sexuality and transition, and passing. Considerations for counselors working with the transsexual and transgender populations are also discussed …

Tending To The Wound: Understanding The Functions Of Cutting As A Coping Mechanism For Adolescent Females, Lisa Anne Moore

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This research project details cutting as a coping mechanism for adolescent females, specifically looking at the functions of cutting, e.g. affect regulation, anti-dissociation, and self-punishment. Self-injury manifested in cutting is essentially different from suicidal gesturing in that the self-injurer is attempting to avoid death. Despite the vast amount of research encouraging therapists to hear the pain behind the scream, many clinicians focus on the behavior itself, neglecting the layers of meaning beneath the cutting. Paralleling the literature review is the case study of Artemis, an adolescent female. Presented in detail are her experiences and utilization of cutting. Implications and recommendations …

Curriculum For Parents Of Children In Foster Care Who Are Working To Achieve Reunification, Andrea Lynn Skaflen

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This review considers the reasons for the disconnect between what has been identified as best practice and what is routinely practiced regarding services to biological parents of children in foster care. As well it synthesizes the current data regarding what practices are most effective in working with biological parents of children in foster care in achieving the goal of family reunification to create a curriculum for parents of children in foster care who are working to achieve reunification. It also synthesizes current data regarding best practices and presents a curriculum for parents of children in foster care who are working …

The Increasing Rate Of Undergraduate Male Attrition: What The Men Tell Us. A Qualitative Case Study., Monika Neelam Kushwaha

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The current study explores the factors that may contribute to undergraduate male attrition and ways of improving retention at James Madison University (JMU) using qualitative case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men who were currently enrolled at JMU, six men who had previously been enrolled at JMU but who had left before completing a degree, and two university administrators who work closely with students at risk of dropping out. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. They were analyzed using QSR’s N-Vivo 9, a qualitative data management software package. Themes and sub-themes emerged around two major categories: factors that …

The Impact Of Overt And Relational Victimization On Adolescents' Well Being: Moderating Effects Of Ethnicity At The Individual And School Level, Krista Mehari

Theses and Dissertations

The sociocultural influence of ethnicity on peer victimization among youth has received little attention in the research literature. Individual ethnicity within school ethnic composition may influence the frequency of victimization and the effect of victimization on adolescents’ well being. The current study investigated these issues using a data set of 5,581 sixth grade students attending 37 schools located in four sites. Multilevel models examined the extent to which individual ethnicity within school ethnic composition influenced the frequency and impact of overt and relational victimization on changes in life satisfaction. Ethnic differences were found in the frequency of victimization, but these …

Turning To The Bottle For Answers: Identifying Racial Differences In Predictors Of Risk Drinking Among College Women, Melody Mickens

Theses and Dissertations

Epidemiological data suggest that alcohol use and related problems have increased among college women. The current study examined psychosocial predictors of risk drinking in a sample of college women (N=360), whether race moderated this relationship. Potential predictors included: daily smoker; premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptom severity; age at first alcohol use, negative affect, parental history of alcohol problems and minority status. Analyses found that somatic PMS symptom severity score, age of first alcohol use, daily smoking, age of first alcohol use and non-minority status were related. Findings suggest that minority group membership was associated with low risk drinking, while somatic PMS …

Effecr Of An Enriched Environment On Morphine Conditioned Place Preference In Rats, Gina E. Difeo

Theses

No abstract provided.