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The Effects Of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate On Response Acquisition, Sean Patrick Laraway

Dissertations

In the last 10 years, the use and abuse of the club drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has noticeably increased. Because GHB has only recently emerged as a drug of abuse, relatively little is known about the drug's behavioral effects, including its effects on learning. Therefore, the present study sought to characterize GHB's effects on rats' acquisition of a lever-press response using a two-lever, resetting/cancellation procedure. Under this procedure, responses on one ( reinforcement ) lever produced a single food pellet after a delay of 0, 20, or 40 s. Presses on the second ( cancellation ) lever during a delay interval …

Feminist Identity And Social Tolerance Of Mental Illness: The Influence Of Gender-Role Deviance, Susan Eileen Hamilton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the influence of feminist identity on social tolerance of mental illness, specifically, the extent to which people with gender deviant mental illnesses (i.e. men with depression, women with antisocial personality disorder) are socially tolerated. Male and female subjects (N=260) were given the Feminist Perspectives Scale and six character vignettes describing a person with a mental illness followed by a series of questions. Subjects received a score on six subscales of the FPS (conservative, liberal feminism, radical feminism, cultural feminism, socialist feminism, and woman of color feminism), which were compared to their social tolerance scores. Results suggested that …

Psychological Operations And An Iatrogenic Threat In Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a psychological phenomenon that might lead to the backfiring of an attempt at employing psychological operations.

Mother-Child Conversation And Children's Understanding Of Biological And Nonbiological Changes In Size, Jennifer Jipson, Maureen A. Callanan

Psychology and Child Development

This article explores the ways that mothers and children from primarily middle-income European American backgrounds reason about events in which biological and nonbiological objects change in size. In Study 1, mother–child conversations were examined to investigate the events mothers described as growth, as well as the ways mothers explained events occurring in different domains. Findings indicate that although mothers primarily discussed events in domain-specific ways, they exhibited some domain blurring in their talk to children. In Study 2,3-year-old children (M = 3 years, 2 months) and 5-year-old children (M = 5 years) provided descriptions and explanations of the same events. …

Finding The Feathers In “Birds Of A Feather”: An Antiterrorist And Counterterrorist Dilemma In Profiling, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a significant challenge for intelligence analysts attempting to identify individuals, groups, and organizations that have joined, are joining, or will join forces in terrorist enterprises.

The Pros And Cons Of Fearing Fear: Examples From Venezuela And New York State, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes consequences of fear for security-related public policy.

The Undecided Student And Self-Assessment: A Journey Toward Decision, Lucia A. Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this single subject study were (a) to create a profile of the undecided student in regard to academic and career direction and (b) to explore the effectiveness of self-assessment tools as aides for the undecided student. An undergraduate student, who voluntarily came to a Career and Academic Planning Center, was chosen based upon (a) her declaration of being undecided regarding the direction of academic and career pursuits and (b) her willingness to explore self-assessment tools. After selection, the student was given (a) a single item questionnaire, to solely determine whether she was decided or undecided regarding career …

Culture And Counseling, Clemmont E. Vontress

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Culture is a group's way of life. It is visible and invisible, cognitive and affective, conscious and unconscious, and much more. There are at least five sources of it. They are the universal, ecological, national, regional, and racio-ethnic tributaries. Interactively, they shape and influence all human behavior, including counseling. In this chapter, the ways culture as a whole impacts the counseling relationship, diagnosis, treatment plan, follow-up, and payment is discussed.

Play And The Evolution Of Fairness: A Game Theory Model, Lee Alan Dugatkin, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

Bekoff [J. Consci. Stud. 8 (2001) 81] argued that mammalian social play is a useful behavioral phenotype on which to concentrate in order to learn more about the evolution of fairness. Here, we build a game theoretical model designed to formalize some of the ideas laid out by Bekoff, and to examine whether ‘fair’ strategies can in fact be evolutionarily stable. The models we present examine fairness at two different developmental stages during an individual’s ontogeny, and hence we create four strategies--fair at time 1/fair at time 2, not fair at time 1/not fair at time 2, fair at time …

A Single Subject Study On Major Depressive Disorder, Ptsd, And Mild Mental Retardation, Jennifer Yvette Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single subject study was to compare best practice and normative practice in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Mild Mental Retardation. A client from a community-based agency was used in the study. The client was an African American woman who resided in a low socioeconomic area and whose income was below the poverty line. The client experienced emotional, physical, and psychological abuse and neglect during childhood. She presented with symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, basic coping skills and parenting skills. Outcome data was obtained through interviewing and observations. The treatment consisted …

Trends. Security, Stigma, And Biological Weapons, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychology of security concerns pertaining to unclassified information relating to biological weapons and/or biosecurity and how it might be used to harm US security.

Fully Proportional Actigraphy: A New Instrument, Warren W. Tryon, Robert Williams

Psychology Faculty Publications

The relevance of activity measurement is reviewed. Technical information regarding a new, small, lightweight, fully proportional accelerometer-based activity monitor suited for a wide range of wrist, waist, and ankle activity measurements over extended time periods in free-ranging persons is presented. Calibration data demonstrating within- and between-device reliability and validity are presented. Field trial data are presented showing that wrist and waist actigraphs can predict kilocalories of energy expended. The issue of how activity monitors should be validated is discussed. Instrument reliability is distinguished from clinical repeatability. Recommendations are provided to assist investigators with instrument selection.

Analysis Of Impulsive Behaviors Among Prison Inmates Convicted Of Violent Crimes, Inmates Convicted Of Non-Violent Crimes And Undergraduate College Students, Lonnie Kishpaugh Sr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sudden explosive episodes of rage and human aggression by individuals occur daily in our society. While impulsive aggressive behavior is included in several established psychological disorders, the etiology of such behavior has been widely debated.

This study tested the hypotheses that prison inmates who have committed violent crimes were no more likely to exhibit impulsive behavior, than like numbers of prison inmates who had committed non-violent crimes, or college students who have no criminal record. Groups of 20 each of the respective populations were randomly administered the Kipnis Impulsiveness Scale in accordance with instructions from the manual.

With an alpha …

Analysis Of Locus Of Control And Educational Level Utilizing The Internal Control Index, Valerie L. Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study is a comparison of Locus of Control as measured by the Internal Control Index (ICI) between adult subjects of high school education or less and adult subjects attending graduate school or of graduate school education or above. The study was conducted to determine if the Internal Control Index for the graduate level educated population was significantly different from that of the non-college-educated population. The Internal Control Index (ICI), by Patricia Duttweiler was used as the instrument for this study. A sample of 100 male and female subjects was used from the West Virginia and Ohio areas. Each participant …

The Fear Of Femininity Vs. The Fear Of Death And Attitudes Towards Lesbians And Gay Men, Timothy Andrew Caswell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Decades of research on attitudes toward non-heterosexuals has found that heterosexual males are significantly more negative towards gay men than lesbians, while females generally have similar attitudes toward both. Using a terror management research design, the current research investigates the influence of the fear of femininity and the fear of mortality on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Two hundred forty-seven introductory psychology students were primed to fear their own mortality, their femininity or masculinity, or dental pain. Sexual prejudice scores were consistent with prior research, but the findings were not consistent with either a mortality salience effect or femininity …

Associations Of Test Anxiety And Selected Variables On The Performance Of Adult And Technical Education And Psychology Students, Claudia Coleman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ADIQ was used to explore what, if any, attachment and clinical issues might be related to test anxiety. Furthermore, these variables were compared with age and size of city in which one was raised. The participants were 41 college students from a university located in Appalachia. It was found that a.) Ambivalent attachment patterns with the father had a significant negative effect on test anxiety b.) Age or gender was not significantly related to test anxiety. c.) Size of city in which a student was raised in resulted in no significant effect. d.) Negative attachment with a significant other …

Borderline Personality Disorder : A Comparison Of Linehan And Kernberg's Treatment Modalities, Janet M. Riley

Graduate Research Papers

About 30% of clients worldwide are diagnosed as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (Bohus et al., 2000). BPD is a complex disorder and difficult to treat. Therefore, it is necessary for counselors to gain as much knowledge about treatment modalities and their effectiveness as possible. This paper attempts to define BPD by looking closely at its history.and describing the criteria for diagnosis. Linehan's Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Kernberg's Object Relational Theory (ORT) are compared as to their effectiveness in working with clients who exhibit symptoms of BPD.

A Correlation Analysis Of Parental Expectations, Mentoring, And Gender Socialization On Women's Self-Efficacy, Nancy Lillian Amarin, Norina Reis

Theses Digitization Project

This study investigated social influences believed to have an impact on the development of women's self-efficacy. The independent variables examined included parental expectations, gender role socialization, and mentoring. A questionnaire with both ordinal and nominal questions was administered to 196 female undergraduates attending California State University, San Bernardino and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The sample was predominantly Caucasian (35,2 percent) and Hispanic (33.7 percent), with a median age of 20. Participants answered 57 questions, consisting of demographic questions, measures of self-efficacy and three independent variables. Pearson r analysis found positive significant correlations between self-efficacy and all three variables. The …

The Impact Of Stressful Life Events And Exposure To Community Violence On Delinquency In Hispanic Pre-Adolescents, Nadine Valerie Perez Zamora

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the current study was to examine delinquent pre-adolecents. It was hypothesized that both predictor variable [exposure to community violence (number of events; preception of events) and stressful life events (number of events)] would impact delinquent behavior (violent thoughts, violent behaviors, and promiscuity).

Gnostic Dilemmas In Western Psychologies Of Spirituality1, Harry T. Hunt

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Early Gnosticism is identified as a form of Weber’s inner-worldly mysticism that, following the

critique of Plotinus, entailed spiritual metapathologies of inflated grandiosity, despair, and/or

social withdrawal. These vulnerabilities re-emerge in the naturalistic psychologies of spirituality

begun by Emerson, Nietzsche, Jung, and Maslow and more implicitly within contemporary personality

and neuropsychological research on numinous/transpersonal experience. An updated

version of Gnostic dilemma and its conflicted dualism may be endemic to any would-be science

of the spiritual and to much current transpersonal psychology as well.

Progress And Opportunities In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Health Communications, Laurie A. Drabble, J. Keatley, G. Marcelle

Faculty Publications

This article describes elements of effective health communication and highlights strategies that may best be adopted or adapted in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Studies have documented the utility of multidimensional approaches to health communication from the macro level of interventions targeting entire populations to the micro level of communication between health care provider and consumer. Although evidence of health disparities in LGBT communities underscores the importance of population-specific interventions, health promotion campaigns rarely target these populations and health communication activities seldom account for the diversity of LGBT communities. Advances in health communication suggest promising direction …

Induction And Expression Of Cocaine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization: Modulation By A Partial D₂-Like Agonist, Janet Marie Sibole

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a partial D₂-like dopamine agonist (i.e. terguride) would block the induction or expression of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in pre-weanling rats. The ability of terguride to induce behavioral sensitization was also examined, as partial D₂-like agonists have agonistic actions in cases of low dopaminergic tone.

The Effects Of Lesions To The Superior Colliculus And Ventromedial Thalamus On [Kappa]-Opioid-Mediated Locomotor Activity In The Preweanling Rat, Arturo Rubin Zavala

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the neuronal circuitry mediating U50,488-induced locomotion in preweanling rats. To this end, preweanling rats received bilateral electrolytic lesions of the ventromedial thalamus or superior colliculus and, two days later, the same rats received a challenge injection of U50,488. It was predicted that bilateral lesions of the ventromedial thalamus or superior colliculus would attenuate the U50,488-induced locomotor activity of 18-day-old rats.

Long-Term Effects Of 3,4- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma) On Serotonergic And Dopaminergic Functioning, Jodi Lynn Kohutek

Theses Digitization Project

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) popularly known as "Ecstasy" continues to gain popularity as a recreational drug that has been shown to increase serotonin and dopamine levels. The present study has demonstrated that repeated exposure to MDMA produces long-term damage to serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons in various regions of the rat brain.

Sex Stereotypes: A Comparison Of Hispanic And Caucasian Mother's Expectations And Wishes, Ngoc Thuy Pham

Theses Digitization Project

In order to understand how children develop gender stereotypes, research needs to be conducted regarding parent's beliefs about gender differences and gender expectations. This is because while there may be other environmental factors involved, parents still have powerful influence on their children. Gender identification starts early. Children learn that this is the way males or females are supposed to behave. Parents may shape and influence a child's beliefs concerning feminine and masculine identities even from the very first moments of a child's life.

Acutely-Administered Ethanol Participates In Testosterone Synthesis And Increases Testosterone In The Rat Brain., Laura O'Dell

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Quality Of Social Networks On Psychological Well-Being In The Visually Impaired Elderly, Marsha Dee Cole

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between several theory based strategies for adaptive coping and well-being in a community of visually impaired elderly.

The Effect Of Graphomotor Exercises And Music On Normal Children And Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Lucy Ellen Heyming

Theses Digitization Project

Although drug therapy is the more common treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and has been shown to reduce symptoms, the benefits of the theraputic drugs are temporary, and the therapy can have adverse side effects. For these reasons, many prefer not to use drug therapy for ADHD. Alternative treatments have been shown to have some efficacy, especially when used in conjunction with drug therapy. Dynamic Systems theory suggests that an intervention which combines graphomotor exercises with music may have a positive effect on a child's behavior and attention. A 2 x 2 pretest-posttest design tested the hypothesis that …

Childhood Depression And Schools, Jeni Barry

Graduate Research Papers

Depression in children is a problem that is becoming more prevalent. With children and adolescents under more stress and pressure than ever before, the seriousness of the issues children deal with is also intensifying. Depression in children is a major concern because it can interfere with school and academics, social functioning, and even lead to somatic symptoms. If depression is left untreated it can lead to other mental disorders. An important concern is that children who are depressed are at great risk of suicide. Population studies show that at any one time between 10 and 15 percent of the child …

Self-Esteem : Cognitive Therapy And Creative Interventions, Barbara J. Fay

Graduate Research Papers

Maladaptive mechanisms due to an impoverished self-esteem have often been seen as part of dual-diagnosis as well as an underlying component in most presenting problems. Since Cognitive Therapy has had excellent results in addressing and elevating most self-esteem issues, a variety of cognitive interventions were explored. However, the Cognitive Therapy framework does not always accommodate specific client needs such as an inability to verbalize due to trauma, intellectual or immaturity levels of cognition as well as cultural or language barriers. Therefore, a multi-modal approach was implemented to provide a framework to integrate Cognitive Therapy and creative interventions. Strengths and weaknesses …