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The Influence Of Genetics And The Environment On Human Personalities, Relationships And Experiences, Patrice Smith

Theses : Honours

It's no mystery that our genetic make-up plays an integral part in the outcome of our lives, but to what extent exactly are our personalities, relationships and experiences pre-determined by this genetic code? There are two forces that contribute to the outcome of these aspects of our lives. Genetics and Environment. The significance of the environment, i.e., our upbringing, lifestyle and the world around us is often emphasized by psychologists as the more dominant force, however our genes are just as, if not more, influential on our lives. My choreographic process is directly in relation to the group of artists …

A Holistic Self-Identity Model, Jacquelyne R. Joens

Graduate Research Papers

Parents, educators, business leaders, political leaders, and mental health professionals all appreciate the impact positive self-esteem has on a person's ability to strive and grow. Self-esteem is a complex, multifaceted component of human existence. It is possible to identify and observe the result of a healthy self-esteem or even the outcome of a damaged self-esteem, but the term self-esteem may be antiquated and no longer exemplary of a complete picture of self. This paper examines research and attempts to define a multi-dimensional model of self-esteem, a Holistic Self-Identity Model, which will help to bring into focus the concept of self-identity …

Relationship Between Discontinuation Of Anti-Depressant Medication During Pregnancy And Development Of Postpartum Depression, Maria Palombo Murphy

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious and potentially debilitating disorder that frequently goes undetected due to stigma and a lack of understanding about its course and etiology. The factor of particular interest to this study concerns the relationship between discontinuation of anti-depressant medication in pregnancy and the development of PPD. The study examined how the variables of pregnancy mood, child care stress, emotional support, instrumental support, marital satisfaction, history of depression, baby temperament, birth experience, and medication status affect symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) in a sample of 202 patients at the six-week postpartum check-up. In addition to a demographic …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With A Depressed Outpatient: Assessing Change In Cognitive Distortions As Measured By The Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions, Detta S. Tate

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This single subject case study was conducted to determine the usefulness of a new measure, the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (lCD). The main purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the ICD in noting changes in dysfunctional thinking during cognitive behavioral therapy. Because of the high incidence of depression in the population, a subject diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder was determined to be the most appropriate choice for assessing the effectiveness of this measure in the clinical setting. The cognitive behavioral treatment implemented was a manualized approach using Gilson and Freeman's (1999), Overcoming Depression. This treatment was a collaborative effort …

The Role Of Expectancies In Binge Eating Behavior, Jessica Larose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central aim of the present study was to examine the role of expectancies in binge eating behavior. Two distinct statistical techniques were used to accomplish this goal. First, regression analyses were conducted using variables previously identified in the literature, as well as eating expectancies as measured by the Eating Expectancy Inventory (EEI). For both females and males, regression equations including expectancies accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in binge eating behavior. Second, memory modeling techniques were used to model the probable organization of eating expectancies. Memory modeling of hypothetical expectancy networks has lead to successful interventions in …

Invitation To The Table Conversation: A Few Diverse Perspectives On Integration, Natalia Yangarber-Hicks, Charles Behensky, Sally Schwer, Kelly Schimmel Flanagan, Nicholas J.S. Gibson, Mitchell W. Hicks, Cynthia Neal Kimball, Jenny H. Pak, Thomas G. Plante, Steven L. Porter

Psychology

This article represents an invitation to the "integration table" to several previously underrepresented perspectives within Christian psychology. The Judeo-Christian tradition and current views on scholarship and Christian faith compel us to extend hospitality to minority voices within integration, thereby enriching and challenging existing paradigms in the field. Contributors to this article, spanning areas of cultural, disciplinary, and theological diversity, provide suggestions for how their distinct voices can enhance future integrative efforts.

Coping Processes Of Couples Experiencing Infertility, Brennan Peterson, Christopher R. Newton, Karen H. Rosen, Robert S. Shulman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This study explored the coping processes of couples experiencing infertility. Participants included 420 couples referred for advanced reproductive treatments. Couples were divided into groups based on the frequency of their use of eight coping strategies. Findings suggest that coping processes, which are beneficial to individuals, may be problematic for one's partner. Couples where men used high amounts of distancing, while their partner used low amounts of distancing, reported higher levels of distress when compared to couples in the other groups. Conversely, couples with women who used high amounts of self-controlling coping, when paired with men who used low amounts of …

Museum Visitors’ Understanding Of Evolution, Amy N. Spiegel, E. Margaret Evans, Wendy Gram, Judy Diamond

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In spite of overwhelming scientific evidence supporting evolution, a large percentage of the Ameri-can public does not understand or accept the fundamental principles of evolutionary theory. Museums have an important role in educating children and adults about evolution. This paper reviews recent museum visitor studies, which suggest that while visitors are interested in learning about and less likely to reject evolution than the general public, they tend to have a limited understanding of evolutionary concepts. A new conceptual framework, based on developmental research, indicates that visitors reason about evolution differently depending on the type of organism they are considering, applying …

Life-Course Socioeconomic Position And Hypertension In African American Men: The Pitt County Study, Sherman A. James, John Van Hoewyk, Robert F. Belli, David S. Strogatz, David R. Williams, Trevillore E. Raghunathan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives. We investigated the odds of hypertension for Black men in relationship to their socioeconomic position (SEP) in both childhood and adulthood.

Methods. On the basis of their parents’ occupation, we classified 379 men in the Pitt County (North Carolina) Study into low and high childhood SEP. The men’s own education, occupation, employment status, and home ownership status were used to classify them into low and high adulthood SEP. Four life-course SEP categories resulted: low childhood/low adulthood, low childhood/high adulthood, high childhood/low adulthood, and high childhood/high adulthood.

Results. Low childhood SEP was associated with a 60% greater …

Development And Evaluation Of A Single-Session Expectancy Challenge Intervention To Reduce Alcohol Use Among Heavy Drinking College Students, Hoyee Lau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While overall rates of college student drinking have declined slightly since 1980, extreme forms of drinking are escalating. A comprehensive review of all aspects of alcohol use among college students completed by a panel of scientists and college presidents concluded that very few approaches for dealing with student drinking can be considered empirically validated, and they strongly encouraged additional efforts to develop and validate effective strategies. Expectancy challenge approaches designed to reduce risky drinking through changing key expectancies have been identified as one of the few validated strategies, but this approach has not been developed into a format that is …

Self-Efficacy And Adult Development, Daniel Cervone, Daniele Artistico, Jane M. Berry

Psychology Faculty Publications

A major theme in the contemporary study of human development across the life span is that people have the capacity for personal agency. Innumerable writers emphasize that individuals can exert intentional influence over their experiences and actions, the circumstances they encounter, the skills they acquire, and thus ultimately the course of their development.

Shopping Motivations And Their Influence On Shopping Experience In Australia And Indonesia, Tjong Budisantoso

Theses

The main focus of this study is on motivation. In particular, the study aims to investigate the relationship between the in-store experience of shoppers and their motivation for shopping. The in-store experience as defined in this study includes the perception of store atmosphere and cognitive responses. Another interest of the study is to test the relationship between cognitive responses and store atmosphere in two different countries. Lastly, this study explores the relationship between in-store experience and store patronage satisfaction, which in turn can influence shoppers’ repatronage intention. All the hypotheses in this study have been tested in Perth, Australia and …

Journal Use By Graduate Students As Indicated By Masters’ Theses Bibliographies At An Urban Commuter College, 1991-2004., Ellen A. Sexton

Publications and Research

Citation analyses were carried out on master’s thesis in three disciplines, forensic psychology, forensic science and criminal justice, completed and deposited in John Jay library from 1991 to 2004. The aim was to determine the effect of availability of electronic journals on students’ choice of references. The number of journal citations and the ratio of journal articles to all citations was assessed. Criminal justice theses listed more citations that either science of psychology theses, but relatively fewer journal articles. An increase over time was seen in the number of journal articles cited and in the ratio of journal articles to …

Assessment Of Risk And Protective Factors For Homelessness : Preliminary Validation Of The Life Needs Inventory, Dena L. Brown-Young

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the LNI (Life Needs Inventory), used by the VOADV (Volunteers of America Delaware Valley) organization to identify risk factors, as well as protective strengths, associated with the securing of stable housing among the homeless population. Homelessness is a growing concern in the United States (Rosenberg, Solarz, & Bailey, 1991) and individuals or families who become homeless are at risk for many more problems. Finding suitable shelter is just the beginning, as physical safety and mental health issues become major concerns. Violence, drugs, risky sexual behaviors, lack of social support, limited employment opportunities, …

Coping Strategy Use And Resilience Among Children Reporting Victimization, Julie K. Gepner

Masters Theses

Prior studies have established the negative implications of peer victimization; additional literature has focused on how children cope with the negative effects of peer bullying. However, no current research has examined the specific coping strategies, which may result in resiliency to the negative effects of peer victimization. The present study examined victimization, coping strategies, and resilience in a sample of 143 third through sixth grade students. The results indicated that the coping strategy of seeking social support was associated with resiliency among victims of aggression. In contrast, coping using externalizing behavior was associated with significantly lower levels of resiliency. The …

Predictors Of Paternal Involvement In Childcare In Dual-Earner Families With Young Children, Julie N. Jacobs, Michelle L. Kelley

Psychology Faculty Publications

Dual-earner parents (N = 119) of preschool children enrolled in licensed childcare centers completed anonymous questionnaires that examined work and family variables as related to paternal involvement in three areas: engagement (i.e., one-on-one interaction with the child), responsibility (i.e., taking care of the child’s needs), and accessibility (i.e., being available to the child without directly interacting). Paternal responsibility was predicted by beliefs about fathering and structural variables (e.g., hours fathers and mothers worked). The percentage of time fathers spent as their child’s primary caregiver was predicted by structural variables (e.g., mothers’ work hours) and belief variables (e.g., men’s beliefs about …

Supportive And Unsupportive Responses From Parents As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Stressful Events And Negative Outcomes In Adolescents, Karen A. Muehl

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between stressful events in adolescents and negative outcomes of substance use, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Parental support and unsupportive parental responses were examined as moderators of this relationship. The research design was cross-sectional, and self-report data were collected from 100 adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades. As hypothesized, significant positive associations were found between perceived stressors and each of the three negative outcomes, as well as between unsupportive parental responses and the outcomes. Also consistent with hypotheses, and previous literature, was the finding of a significant inverse association …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Cognitive Predictors Of Self-Care Behaviors In Youth With Type I Diabetes, Michelle Marie Greene

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-sectional research of youth with type I diabetes has demonstrated that rote and working memory predict blood glucose monitoring (BGM) and carbohydrate consumption, respectively; however, to date, no longitudinal follow-up studies exist. Rote and working memory subtests from well-standardized memory measures, along with a problem-solving and executive functioning measures were administered to 118 youth with type I diabetes, aged 9-16 in two waves of data collection (mean interval = 2.07 years). Diabetes care behaviors were assessed through the 24-hour Diabetes Interview. This study was the first to document longitudinal prediction of BGM by rote memory and fat consumption by working …

Fine Art And Processing Fluency: Symmetry And Contrast Influence Preference In Paintings, Jennifer Ann Grossheim

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

How do we discern beauty? The question has been debated by competing theorists throughout the years. Recently, Reber, Schwarz, and Winkielman (2004) have proposed that beauty is a function of an individual's processing fluency. In other words, the more easily one first processes an image the more beautiful it is judged to be. The current research aimed to tests this hypothesis using selected works of fine art. Using self-reports, responses to altered and unaltered images were recorded. Images were either left intact or altered in order to reduce or increase their symmetry or figure-ground contrast-two elements considered to be hallmarks …

Cognitive, Emotional, And Quality Of Life Outcomes In Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Joanne White, Ramona O. Hopkins, Eric G. Glissmeyer, Natalie Kitterman, C. Gregory Elliott

Faculty Publications

Background: The effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cardiovascular and physical function are well documented. Limited information exists regarding the effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cognitive function despite patient reports of problems with memory and attention. Our primary purpose was to determine if a prospectively identified cohort of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients had cognitive sequelae. Our secondary purpose was to determine the relationships between cognitive sequelae and neuropsychological test scores with depression, anxiety, and quality of life.

Methods: Forty-six adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension underwent assessment of cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and quality of life using standardized neuropsychological tests …

Psychometric Validity For The Matson Evaluation Of Drug Side Effects And The Akathisia Rating Of Movement Scale, Mark Joseph Garcia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Akathisia is a movement disorder characterized by a sense of restlessness and increased motor activity. Movement disorders are primarily an iatrogenic result of mediation use. In the case of akathisia, this syndrome is easily misdiagnosed as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, there is a need to development greater awareness and encourage research on akathisia and the movement disorder field at large. Accordingly, the APA has included research criteria for the movement disorder syndromes in the Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual since the fourth revision. The purpose of this project was to …

The Sleep Problems Inventory: A Measure For The Assessment Of Sleep Problems In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Dennis R. Dixon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sleep problems can have a broad impact across the day-to-day functioning of an individual. Persons with intellectual disabilities are at a particular risk for developing sleep problems, with prevalence estimates much higher than is found in the general population. Nonetheless, the assessment of sleep problems in persons with intellectual disabilities has been widely overlooked. The Sleep Problems Inventory (SLEEPY) was created to measure various factors related to sleep problems in persons with intellectual disabilities. The present study represents the first steps in establishing the reliability and validity of the SLEEPY in adults with intellectual disabilities.

Planning For The Close And Distant Future: The Impact Of Temporal Distance On Task Completion Prediction, Johanna Peetz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Accurate project completion estimates are part of successful project completion. Thus, it is important to identify factors that reduce the tendency to make overly optimistic project completion predictions (Buehler et al., 2002). This research investigated the effect of temporal distance on project completion predictions. A review of past research provided evidence that could lead to a prediction of either increased or decreased optimism with increasing temporal distance. In a first study, participants predicted the completion date of a hypothetical school assignment that would begin either tomorrow (close future) and next term (distant future). Participants predicted to complete the project earlier …

The Relationship Between Sexual Behavior And Relational Aggression In College Students, Hiliary Baethke

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although the study of relational aggression has been the subject of more research since Crick and Grotpeter (1995) first defined the term, the impact of this form of aggression on college students is still an area that requires more study. Relational aggression is defined as "harming others through purposeful manipulation and damage of their peer relationships" (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Current research on relational aggression has established that women are more likely to engage in relational aggression then men (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). While research has typically focused on the impact of relational aggression on friendship groups, the impact …

Do Overweight Inactive Parents Raise Overweight Inactive Children? Examination Of The Influence Of The Home Environment On Weight Status Of Children Over Time, Emily York-Crowe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary aim of this study was to test whether body mass index (BMI), psychosocial, and behavioral parental variables were associated with similar variables in children at baseline, and whether these variables also served as significant predictors of overweight status in children after two years. While there have been several cross-sectional studies examining the impact of parental behaviors and characteristics on similar variables in children, and several longitudinal studies predicting weight status, BMI percentile, and risk factors of disease in children over time, there is a paucity of research that has identified (cross-sectionally) and then tested (longitudinally) significant parental variables …

The Development Of Wheel-Induced Feeding Suppression In Male And Female Rats, Olivia Dalton-Jez

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Access to a running wheel causes a feeding suppression in adult rats (Afonso & Eikelboom, 2003) but it appears this wheel induced feeding suppression is not evident in weanlings (Cortright, Chandler, Lemon, and DiCarlo, 1997). This ad lib wheel and food model (ALWF) has been suggested as an animal model of anorexia nervosa (AN). Two characteristic features of AN are the disorder's very specific age of onset and the marked sex difference in incidence, with the majority of cases first becoming evident in females during puberty. It is not clear how much of the genesis of and expression of this …

Syntactic Processing In Individuals With Dyslexia: Using Erp To Address The Debate, Hilary Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Behavioural and ERP data were collected from university and college students with and without dyslexia to determine if a deficit in syntactic processing in post-secondary students with dyslexia can be explained by the degree of phonological processing deficits. Participants read and listened to sentences of differing syntactic complexity and working memory load, particularly object relative and subject relative sentences. Slow cortical waves showed greater negativity for the objective relative sentences as the sentence progressed for the control participants regardless of presentation format. The same result was seen for the participants with dyslexia when presented with sentences in an auditory format. …

Parenting Style And Its Relationship To Interpretation Of The Bible And Worship Style In College Students., Geoffrey R. Mabe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To extend research on Baumrind’s parenting styles, a scenario study was conducted to determine if the gender of a stimulus child and the parenting style employed by stimulus parents would relate significantly to biblical interpretation style and preferred worship style. A 2x3 independent groups factorial design was employed for analysis in two different procedures. Respondents (152 undergraduate students) were provided with one of six scenarios, each of which varied by gender of stimulus child and by one of three parenting styles employed by the stimulus parent. Respondents were then directed to complete the Scriptural Literalism Scale (Hogge & Friedman, 1967) …

Children's Beliefs In Relation To The Essence Of Race, Rachel Wetton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The way in which children categorize race is a highly debatable topic for which a conclusive result has not yet been found. Researchers hold different views as to whether the concept of race is present at birth, or whether it is something that develops. Previous research has shown that children do not treat race in the same way as adults do. Even by fourth grade, children do not consistently believe in the essence of race (Glerum, 2002). This study more closely examines one of the potential factors for the point at which race is essentialized: knowledge of inheritance. Children were …

Examination Of Role Satisfaction And Mental Health Of Caregiving Grandparents, Jennifer Copen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has shown that the number of caregiving grandparents in America has steadily increased. If this trend continues there will be more of a need for society to recognize this population and the difficulties that they face due to the atypical structure of these households. Research has produced mixed results as to what effect raising grandchildren has on grandparent caregivers. Most research has found that raising a grandchild increases stress levels (Bowers & Myers, 1999; Musil 1998; Sands & Goldberg-Glen, 2000). Research has also shown that some caregiving grandparents possess other difficulties such as increased mental and physical health problems …