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Reasons For Drinking In The College Student Context: The Differential Role And Risk Of The Social Motivator, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Eric R. Pedersen

Heads Up!

Objective

The present study examines the relationships among reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences in two college-aged samples. Personal motivators such as mood enhancement and coping (tension reduction) have consistently been shown to predict problematic alcohol use, but because of the salient nature of social drinking in college, we hypothesized that social reasons for drinking would be most frequently endorsed and, in turn, predict negative consequences.

Method

Two distinct samples—119 coed adjudicated students sanctioned by the university for violating campus alcohol policy and 106 co-ed volunteer students—completed measures assessing alcohol consumption, reasons for drinking, and consequences. Differential effects …

Video Game Addiction: Truth Or Fiction, Lyles Thibodeaux-Harmony

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Child Sexual Abuse: Development Of Psychiatric Disorders And Interventions, Toshikazu Kuroda

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Child sexual abuse has become a serious social concern due to the recent report of its higher incidence rate than commonly believed. This form of child abuse has been proposed to bring about adverse effects on children's development since more than one century ago. However, research over past decades reveals that effects of sexual abuse are extremely complex and diverse. Particularly, there appear to be many unclear factors increasing the probability for the development of psychiatric disorders in sexually abused children. The present paper investigated how child sexual abuse creates diversity over the course of the victims' development from multiple …

Effectiveness Of A Treatment Approach For Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder And Borderline Personality Disorder: A Case Study, Jo Anne Esfahani

Theses and Dissertations

This case study evaluates the effectiveness of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy with a focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the treatment of an adult female diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder in a community based mental health agency. The client's psychosocial assessment is presented and the empirical treatment literature related to the client's diagnosis is reviewed. A variety of outcome measures were used. Results indicated the treatment was effective: the client experienced significant reduction in the severity of her symptoms. However, further treatment is needed to improve parenting skills, maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and to reduce residual …

Nighttime Pedestrian Conspicuity: The Effects Of Pedestrian Movement, Orientation And The Configuration Of Retroreflective Material, Stacy Balk

All Theses

Most fatal collisions between vehicles and pedestrians occur at night; inadequate visibility is a key factor. Previous research has shown that positioning reflective markers on pedestrians in a manner that depicts biological motion greatly enhances conspicuity. This on-road experiment examined the conspicuity advantages of a full biological motion configuration relative to that provided by an ANSI class II safety vest. 120 healthy young participants were driven along a 3.5 mile route and pressed a button when they were confident they saw a pedestrian. A test pedestrian on the left shoulder of the roadway wore black clothing with either an ANSI …

Effects Of A Synthetic Cannabinoid On The Reinforcing Efficacy Of Ethanol In Rats, Ericka M. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The co-abuse of alcohol and marijuana is widespread, although the mechanisms underlying this behavior are unclear. There is some evidence of a relationship between the neural processes that mediate the effects of ethanol and marijuana. For example, research has shown that exposure to marijuana increases responding for, and intake of, ethanol. The alcohol deprivation effect is an anima l model of alcoholism that suggests that the reinforcing efficacy of ethanol, as measured by intake, increases following a period of deprivation. Recent research indicates that rats chronically exposed to marijuana during periods of alcohol deprivation consume ethanol above and beyond deprivation …

Vascular Conditions, Risk Factors And Depression Chronicity In Late-Onset Major Depression, Robert D. Lisota

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research examining a possible relationship between vascular factors and late-life depression in the elderly has produced both evidence for and against a "vascular depression" hypothesis, which posits that late-life depression may have a vascular or neurological etiology. It was hypothesized that a depressive disorder that is primarily the result of structural changes in the brain due to vascular conditions in late-life may be related to increased depression chronicity. We examined data from the Cache County Study on Memory, Health, and Aging to determine whether support for the concept of vascular risk for depression and increased chronicity were present in an …

Children’S Perceptions Of Mothers’ And Fathers’ Parental Rearing In White And Hispanic Families, Ariz Rojas-Cifredo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study compared children's perceptions of mothers' and fathers' parental rearing styles in White and Hispanic families. Participants included 173 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children recruited from after-school care programs in the School District of Hillsborough County, Florida. Children completed measures of perceived parenting for both mothers and fathers and a self-report inventory of their own current psychological symptoms. No differences between perceptions of parental acceptance in Hispanic and White families were expected. However, perceptions of hostile control were predicted to be higher for Hispanic fathers than for White fathers. In contrast, perceptions of maternal inconsistent discipline were …

Interpreter Competency Exam In Mental Health, Sergiy Barsukov

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The issue of diversity has become one of the most salient among mental health professionals in the past few decades. As the American society becomes more and more diverse the need for professionals who can provide culturally competent services will continue to rise. One of the important aspects of culture is language. When serving clients who are monolingual it is not always possible to find a therapist who fluently speaks the client's language. Therefore, professionals often have to use interpreters in order to adequately serve their clients. Initial research on interpreter competence is concerning, with one study reporting an average …

Phobias: The Evolutionary Trend, Grant Brown

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Germ-Line Chimerism And Paternal Care In Marmosets (Callithrix Kuhlii), C. N. Ross, Jeffrey French, G. Ortí

Psychology Faculty Publications

The formation of viable genetic chimeras in mammals through the transfer of cells between siblings in utero is rare. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we show here that chimerism in marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii) twins is not limited to blood-derived hematopoietic tissues as was previously described. All somatic tissue types sampled were found to be chimeric. Notably, chimerism was demonstrated to be present in germ-line tissues, an event never before documented as naturally occurring in a primate. In fact, we found that chimeric marmosets often transmit sibling alleles acquired in utero to their own offspring. Thus, an individual that contributes gametes to …

Therapeutic Alliance And Treatment Progress In Couple Psychotherapy, Lynne M. Knobloch-Fedders, William M. Pinsof, Barton J. Mann

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined the ability of the therapeutic alliance to predict treatment progress on individual‐ and relationship‐level variables from the early to middle phase of couple treatment. Although alliance did not predict progress in individual functioning, it accounted for 5–22% of the variance in improvement in marital distress. Women’s mid‐treatment alliance uniquely predicted improvement in marital distress, over and above early treatment alliance. When men’s alliances with the therapist were stronger than their partners’ at session 8, couples showed more improvement in marital distress. Treatment response was also positively associated with women’s ratings of their partners’ alliance. Results confirm that …

The Theory Of Planned Behavior: Predicting Physical Activity In Mexican American Children, Jeffrey J. Martin, Kimberly L. Oliver, Nate Mccaughtry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Theoretically grounded research on the determinants of Mexican American children's physical activity and related psychosocial variables is scarce. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict Mexican American children's self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Children (N = 475, ages 9–12) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB constructs and MVPA. Multiple regression analyses provided moderate support for the ability of the TPB variables to predict MVPA as we accounted for between 8–9% of the variance in MVPA. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 45% of the …

The Question Of Animal Selves: Implications For Sociological Knowledge And Practice, Leslie Irvine

Anthropomorphism and Anthropocentrism Collection

The question of whether sociologists should investigate the subjective experience of non-human others arises regularly in discussions of research on animals. Recent criticism of this research agenda as speculative and therefore unproductive is examined and found wanting. Ample evidence indicates that animals have the capacity to see themselves as objects, which meets sociological criteria for selfhood. Resistance to this possibility highlights the discipline’s entrenched anthropocentrism rather than lack of evidence. Sociological study of the moral status of animals, based on the presence of the self, is warranted because our treatment of animals is connected with numerous “mainstream” sociological issues. As …

Review: An End To Qualia? Dennett's Defense Of Heterophenomenology, Jason A. Williams

Psychology and Child Development

No abstract provided.

Are People Getting Crazier?, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Terrorism, murder, suicide, drunken driving, addictive gambling, pornography, and religiously inspired violence all provide plenty of evidence that behavioral and emotional problems that are ultimately destructive to self and others are often at the root of so many global, national, and local crises. All these troubles in the world prompt several basic and fundamental questions.

Using Selected Scales Of The Mmpi-A To Differentiate Adjudicated From Nonadjudicated Adolescent Females., Brandon M. Robbins

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Juvenile crime has become an increasingly notable problem in society. Historically, a large portion of research on juvenile offenders centers on the psychological diagnosis of conduct disorder. Juveniles diagnosed with Conduct Disorder often possess other high-risk factors that further complicate their problematic behaviors. For example, deviant peer groups reinforce such behaviors as do home environments where parents exhibit antisocial behaviors and substance abuse (Kronenberger & Meyer, 2001 ). Female offenders constitute a small but important part of the population of adolescents who become involved in the legal system, yet they have been the subject of minimal research. Although only 7-27% …

Influences Of The Family Environment And Parent-Child Relationships On The Executive Functioning Of Children With Adhd, Valarie M. Schroeder

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships between executive functions, family environment, and parent-child relationships in ADHD diagnosed children as compared to non-ADHD diagnosed children. Participants were parents (N = 134) of children diagnosed with ADHD and children not diagnosed with ADHD. As hypothesized, as compared to reports from parents of children not diagnosed with ADHD, parents of children diagnosed with ADHD reported their children as exhibiting greater problems with behavioral control and metacognitive abilities. Compared to control parents, parents of children with ADHD also reported their family environments as less organized and reported more conflict in their homes. In addition, …

Spatial Learning Deficit In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Discerning Place From Strategy Learning, Abigail Lashomb

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

HIV -1 infection is associated with a constellation of cognitive and motor deficits collectively termed HIV associated dementia. With the onset of HAART treatment, these cognitive effects have become more mild, but also more prevalent. The lack of a proper animal model to study these cognitive effects of HIV has lead to the development of a new transgenic rat. This rat expresses the HIV -1 genome with functional tat and gp 120 viral proteins. These proteins are linked with direct neural toxicity as well as the induction of cytokines and other indirect means of neuronal damage. As part of the …

The Topography Of Healing From East To West, Brandi Sullivan

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

37th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Future Promise For Women In Science, Christine Armett-Kibel

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines possible reasons why women are still not making it to the top in the hard sciences in academia. It considers two major difficulties that women face. The first concerns the psychological nature of women, which is alleged to be unsuited to the competitive and aggressive mindset considered necessary for scientific achievement. The second concerns the childbearing and child-nurturing roles of women, which make it difficult for them to conform to the intense, time-consuming demands of an academic career in science. The article argues that many of the qualities associated with the female stereotype are actually human characteristics …

Hope For The Fatherless?: A Grounded Interpretive Approach, Anna Manja Larcher

Theses and Dissertations

Psychology's literature regarding fatherlessness is not only grim, mainly pointing out the negative consequences of fatherlessness, but it also does not provide much specific information about fatherless individuals' experiences. A pilot study revealed that fatherless individuals do not always suffer from the loss of their father and that they also have the ability to overcome the negative consequences commonly associated with father loss. The research questions for this study presented themselves naturally after reviewing the literature and after considering the results of my pilot study, namely, “What do fatherless individuals actually experience in being fatherless, and what is the nature …

Neural Basis Of Stereotype-Induced Shifts In Women's Mental Rotation Performance, Maryjane Wraga, Molly Helt, Emily Jacobs, Kerry Sullivan

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Recent negative focus on women's academic abilities has fueled disputes over gender disparities in the sciences. The controversy derives, in part, from women's relatively poorer performance in aptitude tests, many of which require skills of spatial reasoning. We used functional magnetic imaging to examine the neural structure underlying shifts in women's performance of a spatial reasoning task induced by positive and negative stereotypes. Three groups of participants performed a task involving imagined rotations of the self. Prior to scanning, the positive stereotype group was exposed to a false but plausible stereotype of women's superior perspective-taking abilities; the negative stereotype group …

Anxiety Sensitivity And Retaliatory Aggressive Behavior In Research Volunteers, Joshua J. Broman-Fulks, Michael S. Mccloskey, Mitchell E. Berman

Faculty Publications

An important focus of recent aggression research has been to identify personality variables that influence the expression of aggression. One such variable may be anxiety sensitivity (AS). Individuals high in AS fear unpleasant anxiety-related physiological sensations and perhaps physiological arousal in general. Accordingly, people high in AS are motivated to avoid situations that produce these sensations. With respect to aggressive encounters, an intense attack by an opponent involves significant physiological arousal. High anxiety-sensitive individuals may therefore attempt to decrease the intensity of the interaction by responding in a non-aggressive or conciliatory manner. To test this possibility, 112 community volunteers completed …

Binge Eating, Emotion Regulation, And Cognitive Resources, Jennifer A. Tucker

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research has shown that individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) have difficulty coping with negative emotions, although no research to date has directly investigated emotion regulation and binge eating. In the current study individuals with varying amounts of BED characteristics were measured for accuracy on a computerized task involving attention and working memory. Subsequent to the task, participants were given three self-report measures: the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ-I; Fairbum & Celio, 2004), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark & Tellgen, 1988), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003). It was hypothesized that in …

Links Among Attachment Dimensions, Affect, The Self, And Perceived Support For Broadly Generalized Attachment Styles And Specific Bonds, Robin A. Barry, Brian Lakey, Edward Orehek

Peer Reviewed Articles

Measures of adult attachment reflect both respondents’ broadly generalized styles as well as bonds with specific attachment figures. Using Cronbach, Gleser, Nanda, and Rajaratnam’s (1972) Multivariate Generalizability analyses, the authors estimated the extent to which correlations among attachment, affect, the self, and perceived social support occurred for both styles and bonds. In two studies, participants rated attachment, affect, the self, and perceived support when thinking about their mothers, fathers, and romantic partners. In both studies, attachment dimensions reflected specific bonds much more so than generalized styles. When correlations reflected specific bonds, both anxious and avoidant dimensions were strongly linked to …

Plasticity In Animal Personality Traits: Does Prior Experience Alter The Degree Of Boldness?, Ashley J. Frost, Alexandra Winrow-Giffen, Paul J. Ashley, Lynne U. Sneddon

Ethology Collection

Theoreticians predict that animal ‘personality’ traits may be maladaptive if fixed throughout different contexts, so the present study aimed to test whether these traits are fixed or plastic. Rainbow trout (Onchorhyncus mykiss) were given emboldening or negative experiences in the forms of watching bold or shy individuals responding to novelty or winning or losing fights to examine whether prior experience affected boldness. Bold individuals that lost fights or watched shy demonstrators became more shy by increasing their latency to approach a novel object, whereas shy observers that watched bold demonstrators remained cautious and did not modify their responses to novelty. …

Father Involvement In Early Head Start Research Programs, H. H. Raikes, J. A. Summers, Lori A. Roggman

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

This study examined fathers' participation in Early Head Start programs using quantitative and qualitative data from 326 Early Head Start fathers when children were 36 months of age. About half (49%) of the fathers were involved in at least one program activity. A quarter (26%) of the fathers participated at a higher level, in two or more types of program activities. Fathers participated in parent education programs (17%), group socializations (15%), father-only activities (6%), policy councils and program committees (9%), home visits (32% ever, 17% monthly), and in dropping children off at the Early Head Start center (24% ever, …

Playing With Daddy: Social Toy Play, Early Head Start, And Developmental Outcomes, Lori A. Roggman, Lisa Bouye, G. A. Cook, K. Christiansen, D. Jones

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Research on fathers in Early Head Start (EHS) has provided an opportunity to study fathers from low-income families. We examined father-toddler social toy play in relation to EHS enrollment, fathers' psychosocial well-being, and children's developmental outcomes in a sample of 74 father-toddler dyads. Overall, our results show that father-toddler social toy play was more complex among fathers in an EHS program than among those in a comparison group. Greater complexity in father-toddler social toy play predicted better cognitive and social developmental outcomes for young children, especially in the program group, but it was limited by fathers' psychosocial well-being in the …