Digital Commons Network^™

Virus And The Whale: Exploring Evolution In A Museum Collaboration, Judy Diamond, Amy Spiegel, Debra Meier, Sarah Disbrow

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

A major new collaboration of museums in the U.S. will teach the public about current research in evolutionary biology. This project, entitled Explore Evolution, combines the strength of interactive exhibits, Web activities and outreach programs for youth to feature seven influential research projects on organisms ranging in size from the smallest, HIV to the largest, a whale. Launched in 2003 and funded by the Informal Science Education Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Explore Evolution is one of the most comprehensive informal education projects in the U.S. to focus on teaching about evolution research.

Capitalism, The Market, The 'Underclass,' And The Future, Barry Schwartz

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Operator Trust, Complacency Potential, And Task Complexity On Monitoring A Highly Reliable Automated System, Nathan R. Bailey

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Technological advances have allowed for widespread implementation of automation in complex systems. However, the increase in quantity and complexity of advanced automated systems has raised a number of potential concerns including degraded monitoring skills. The present investigation consisted of two studies that assessed the impact of system reliability, complacency potential, monitoring complexity, operator trust, and system experience on monitoring performance. In both studies, participants monitored a simulated aviation display for failures while operating a manually controlled flight task. In addition, the second experiment assessed the ability of operators to detect a single automation failure over three experimental sessions. Results indicated …

Comparisons Among Parent Reports And Self-Reports Of Sleep In Adhd And Normal School-Aged Children, Diana M. Turner-Eadie

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The objective of the study was to investigate whether school-aged children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience greater sleep disturbance than do normally-developing children. Participants included 33 parents and their children with ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.7 years) and 33 parents and their children without ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.6 years). Both parents and their children completed sleep questionnaires developed to assess a number of sleep variables. Based on parental report, the Total Sleep Disturbance score was significantly greater for the ADHD group than for the comparison group. Parents indicated that children with ADHD had …

Resources For Forensic Psychology., Ellen A. Sexton

Publications and Research

Libraries supporting a forensic psychology undergraduate and/or graduate level college program need to collect materials from a range of disciplines – psychology, law, psychiatry and criminal justice. In this guide I identify the major reference works, journals, databases and other resources that should be in a good forensic psychology collection.

Improving Implicit Beliefs And Expectations In Academic Achievement For Postsecondary Students With Disabilities, Kelly B.T. Chang

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

In this article, the author introduces the sociocognitive theory of implicit theories of intelligence (developed by Carol S. Dweck and her colleagues) to the field of rehabilitation, and analyzes disability issues in postsecondary academic achievement within this framework. This sociocognitive theory highlights the utility of the social model of disability. People hold two types of implicit beliefs about intelligence. An entity belief can lead to helplessness and negative self-concepts in the face of failure, because it focuses on labels and stable traits. An incremental belief leads to greater resilience in the face of failure by focusing on strategy and effort …

The Sibling Study: How Does Having A Sibling With A Mental Disorder Affect The Lives Of College Students, Anna Czipri '04

Honors Projects

Although there are many positive outcomes of growing up with a sibling having a psychological or behavioral disorder, typical siblings can potentially experience harmful effects of managing and coping with the special demands and stresses of having a sibling with these kinds of difficulties. The college years are often a time to restructure sibling relationships. It is a time when young adults experience what it is like to be away from home for the first time, develop new groups of friends, and start new behavior patterns, attitudes, goals, and relationships that call for a more mature individual. The current study …

Classroom Structure As An Environmental Effect On Creative Production Of College Students, Krista A. Coulter '04

Honors Projects

Little research has been done to explore creativity in the classroom environment. The present study investigated the effects of three classroom settings (formal, intermediate, and informal) on the creative production of college students. Ninety students were tested using Sternberg and Lubart's (1995) Creativity Assessments both before and after participation in a teaching session. No significant changes were found between classes mean creativity scores after the experimental session. In the intermediate classroom, there was a significant decrease in scores before and after the session; however, in the other two classrooms, formal and informal, there was no significant change found.

Emotional Attachment As The Basis Of Trust And Interpersonal Relationship: Psychological, Indigenous, And Cultural Analysis, Sang-Chin Choi, Uichol Kim

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

No abstract provided.

Neurobiological Mechanisms In The Transition From Drug Use To Drug Dependence, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Communication Modality And After Action Review Performance In A Distributed Immersive Virtual Environment, Jason P. Kring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological innovations in data transfer and communication have given rise to the virtual team where geographically separate individuals interact via one or more technologies to combine efforts on a collective activity. In military, business, and spaceflight settings, virtual teams are increasingly used in training and operational activities; however there are important differences between these virtual collaborations and more traditional face-to-face (FTF) interactions. One concern is the absence of FTF contact may alter team communication and cooperation and subsequently affect overall team performance. The present research examined this issue with a specific focus on how communication modality influences team learning and …

On The Conceptual And Linguistic Activity Of Psychologists: The Study Of Behavior From The 1890s To The 1990s And Beyond, David E. Leary

Psychology Faculty Publications

In the early twentieth century psychology became the study of "behavior." This article reviews developments within animal psychology, functional psychology, and American society and culture that help explain how a term rarely used in the first years of the century became not only an accepted scientific concept but even, for many, an allencompassing label for the entire subject matter of the discipline. The subsequent conceptual and linguistic activity of John B. Watson, Edward C. Tolman, Clark L. Hull, and B.F. Skinner, as they attempted to explain "behavior" throughout the course of the twentieth century, is then discussed. Finally, the article …

Reliability And Concordance Of The Childhood Autism Rating Scale And Dsm-Iv In Adults With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Noha Farrah Minshawi

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers and clinicians have long treated autism as though it were a disorder that only affected children. As a result, little literature is available on the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of adults with autism. One of the first issues to address in this population is diagnosis. While several rating scales and diagnostic systems exist for surveying autistic behavior in children, researchers have not demonstrated the reliability of these scales for adults. The present study focused on two commonly used instruments, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). In the …

The Effects Of Reinforcement Magnitude On Functional Analysis Outcomes, Valerie Marie Volkert

LSU Master's Theses

The functional analysis methodology developed by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) has been successfully used to identify the variables that maintain the problem behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities. However, in some cases, the results of functional analysis may be inconclusive. Altering parameters of reinforcement, such as the schedule, the quality, or magnitude of the reinforcer, may increase the likelihood of obtaining clear functional analysis results. Few studies have evaluated the effects of reinforcement magnitude on problem behavior even though basic findings indicate that this parameter may alter functional analysis outcomes. In fact, reinforcement magnitude has varied widely …

The Effects Of Aniracetam Treatment On Cognitive Performance And Ampa Receptor Glur2 Subunit Expression After Moderate Fluid Percussion Injury In Rats, Anna Igorevna Baranova

Theses and Dissertations

In addition to the acute pathology produced by traumatic brain injury, there are chronic alterations that occur after the trauma, including a depressed state of neuronal activity (Feeney, 1991). This study included a preclinical testing of a novel treatment strategy focusing on increasing neuronal activity during the chronic hypofunctional posttraumatic stage. The present investigation tested the effects of repeated post-injury aniracetam administration on cognitive performance in the Morris water maze (MWM) and on the GluR2 - immunoreactivity and protein expression by Western blot analysis in the hippocampus. The first study examined the optimal dose of aniracetam in the MWM task. …

Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean

Theses : Honours

The acquisition of social competence is an important developmental task for children. This review examines how child effects and environmental effects contribute to children's achievement of social competence. Environmental factors are addressed through Bronfenbrenner's (1999) ecological systems model of the microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem, The microsystem includes the home environment with parent-parent, parent-child and sibling relationships. The mesosystem includes the school environment with peer and teacher relationships. Finally, the exosystem incorporates indirect environments such as parent work, economic status and the media. Issues of reciprocal effects are addressed and the suggestion is made that social competence is the result of …

On The Construction Of Gender, Sex, And Sexualities, Jeanne Marecek, M. Crawford, D. Popp

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of The Impediments To Change Scale - Educational Version : A Study Of Children And Adolescents With Emotional Disturbance, Ray W. Christner

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study reviewed the development of the Impediments to Change Scale: Educational Version and evaluated its use with children and adolescents identified as having an Emotional Disturbance (ED) according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The investigator examined the scale's internal consistency and conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify indices related to “impediments of change.” The objective for the Impediments to Change Scale: Educational Version is to offer a clinically useful instrument to assist in identifying risk factors that impede a student's progress in his or her educational program. Pending future research, this tool has the potential …

Psychometric Study Of The Mahan And Ditomasso Anger Scale (Mad-As) In An Outpatient Cardiac Sample, Kimberly S. D'Andrea

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Psychometric evaluation of the Mahan and DiTomasso Anger Survey (MAD-AS) analysis in an outpatient cardiac population is herein described. The MAD-AS is a newer instrument that measures the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of anger and is beneficial in that it is brief. One hundred fifty cardiac outpatients and one hundred fifty non-cardiac dental patients were administered a demographic form that requested information about cardiac risk factors, the MAD-AS, and the STAXI-2, a widely used valid and reliable measure of state and trait constructs of anger. The MAD-AS factor structure, construct validity, internal consistency, and reliability were examined and found …

Development And Validation Of A Scale Of Perceived Control Across Multiple Domains, Beth Arburn Davis

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The importance of perceived control in people's lives is vast. Indeed, there is much research to support the notion that the perception of control is as important, if not more important, than actual control. This idea can be instrumental in therapy. Patients may have a sense of control in one area, but not in another, and this may cause problems for them. It is likely that an understanding of how much control they believe they have could help patients in therapy. This study outlined the historical and research aspects of the constructs of control and of perceived control, its general …

A Comparison Of Kinetic Family Drawings Of Firstborn And Second-Born Siblings, Lynn Anderson

Dissertations

Problem. While the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) is a popular assessment tool for clinicians, research on developmental issues and how siblings draw their families is lacking. The purpose of this study was to (a) describe the way siblings perceive themselves and their family interpersonal relationships as expressed in the KFD; and (b) to describe possible developmental age differences in the KFD.

Method. The KFD and a Family Dynamics Interview Schedule were administered to 50 pairs of first- and second-born children from Southwestern Michigan, ages 5-14. The data were analyzed quantitatively by the Wilcoxon Sign Test and Chi-Square, using …

The Sources And Nature Of Social Representations In A Multicultural Peer Group : Implications For Friendship And Inter-Group Relationships, Christina Callow

Theses : Honours

The historical, political and social nature of Australian society provides a backdrop for the ways in which exclusion and inclusion are perpetuated. It is from within this context adolescent identity development and relationship formation occurs. While there is a wealth of literature focussing on inter-group relationships and adolescent development, very little research has focussed on the implications of the wider context on everyday social knowledge, or social representations, held by adolescents in a multicultural peer group. Using social representation theory, this study investigated the social representations adolescents held in relation to ethnic, cultural and national identity. It also investigated the …

A Comparison Of Attitudes About Aggression, Sexuality And Social Support In The Peer Relationships Of Sexually Abused And Nonabused Female Adolescents, Sherri R. Edelman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

There is a paucity of research examining whether adolescents with a history of sexual abuse develop different norms or standards for acceptable behavior in their peer relationships. The trauma literature suggests that intervening variables such as perceived social support, interpretations of violence, and interpersonal attitudes may be relevant to the study of sexual abuse. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between a history of sexual abuse, relational attitudes about aggression and sexuality, and the interpersonal factors of social support and negative interaction in adolescent peer relationships. Two groups of female subjects between 13 and 17 years …

Feasibility Study Of A Cognitive Behavioral Smoking Cessation Intervention For Adolescent Males In Residential Treatment, Flora Casallas

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study examined the effectiveness of a modified, empirically-based smoking cessation intervention, originally designed for teenagers in public school settings, but applied to actively smoking adolescents in residential treatment. The cognitive-behavioral intervention, developed by the American Lung Association (ALA, 2001) and researchers at West Virginia University, called Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T), provides a total-health approach to helping teenagers quit smoking or to reducing the number of cigarettes smoked. The 10-session intervention was delivered over five consecutive weeks to eight adolescent males ranging in age 13 to 16 and in grades 8 to 10, living in a residential treatment community (RTC) located …

Role Of Motivation To Change On Treatment Outcome In Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa , Darlene Davis Link

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study investigated motivation to change as a factor in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa. This study was conducted at The Renfrew Center with 44 adults diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa who were entering their inpatient program. The participants were evaluated at intake and discharge on variables of motivation to change, eating disordered symptom severity, weight change, and compliance with treatment. As predicted, results revealed significant negative correlations between the patient's level of readiness to change at admission and perfectionism, distrust of others and their severity of anorexic symptoms at discharge. In addition, the results confirmed that the patient's level …

A Holistic Model Of The Interplay Of Parent-Adolescent Interaction Varialbes: Outcomes As A Result Of Conflictual Processes, Cliff Blake Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many variables have been analyzed in order to understand parent-adolescent interactions and outcomes for adolescents. These variables must be integrated into a model that demonstrates the holistic interplay of parent-adolescent interaction variables so that a more comprehensive understanding of parent-adolescent interactions is achieved. Variables included in the model proposed here were parenting, family environment, expectations, conflict, and outcomes. Parenting, family environment, and conflict were associated with outcomes for adolescents. When the variables were analyzed simultaneously with structural equation modeling, however, the relationship of parenting and adolescent outcomes was mediated wholly for male-father, male-mother, and female-father relationships but remained significant for …

Estrogen And Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity, Michael R. Foy, Michael Baudry, Richard Thompson

Psychological Science Faculty Works

During the past several years, there has been increasing interest in the effects of estrogen on neural function. This enthusiasm is driven, in part, by the results of early clinical studies suggesting that estrogen therapy given after menopause may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of Alzheimer's disease in older women. However, later clinical trials of women with probable Alzheimer's disease had contrary results. Much of the current research related to estrogen and brain function is focused in two directions. One involves clinical studies that examine the potential of estrogen in protecting against cognitive decline during normal aging and …

The Selfish Nature Of Generosity: Harassment And Food Sharing In Primates, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Animals may share food to gain immediate or delayed fitness benefits. Previous studies of sharing have concentrated on delayed benefits such as reciprocity, trade and punishment. This study tests an alternative model (the harassment or sharing–under–pressure hypothesis) in which a food owner immediately benefits because sharing avoids costly harassment from a beggar. I present an experiment that varies the potential ability of the beggar to harass, and of the owner to defend the food, to examine the effects of harassment on food sharing in two primate species: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis). For …

Caregiving Through A Relationship Lens In Reggio Emilia And A Lab School In Canada, Carolyn P. Edwards, Alex Dougherty

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In recent years developmental scientists have described the tasks of relationship-building that contribute to early development: security and attachment, self-recognition and validation, mutuality and companionship, passionate experience, identification and group belonging, and giving care to others. Relationship-building begins within the family, then, in extending it outside the family, early education can play a key role. This selection contains two parts. The first piece describes the kinds of benefits these widening relationships can provide for very young children and outlines some specific steps that educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy, have taken to ensure the best, most "amiable" environments. The second piece, …

¿Cuál Tratamiento Para Cuál Niño? Comorbilidad Y Déficit De Atención-Hiperactividad, Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Joaquín A. Peña

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.