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The Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale: Developing A Self-Report Measure Of Unsafe Driving Practices, John M. Houston, Paul Harris

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a new 11-item measure of aggressive driving, the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale, which focuses on behaviors rather than cognitions, emotions, or motivational states. Based on a sample of 200 undergraduates, 111 women and 89 men), the study examined the convergent validity of the new scale with measures of hostility, hypercompetitiveness, and aggressive thoughts and emotions experienced during driving. A principal component analysis of the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale (alpha = .80) yielded two factors that form reliable subscales labeled Speeding and Conflict Behavior. As expected, the total …

Minding Animals, Minding Earth: Science, Nature, Kinship, And Heart, Marc Bekoff

Sentience Collection

This paper emphasizes the importance of broadening behavioral, ecological, and conservation science into a more integrative, interdisciplinary, socially responsible, compassionate, spiritual, and holistic endeavor.2,3 I will stress the significance of studies of animal behavior, especially ethological research concerned with animal emotions, in which individuals are named and recognized for their own personalities and temperaments, for helping us not only to learn about the nonhuman animal beings (hereafter animals) with whom we share Earth, but also for learning about who we are, our place in Nature, our humanness. We can be best understood in relationship to others. I will also develop …

Experience, Culture And Reality: The Significance Of Fisher Information For Understanding The Relationship Between Alternative States Of Consciousness And The Structures Of Reality, Charles D. Laughlin, Jason C. Throop

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The majority of the world’s cultures encourage or require members to enter alternative states of

consciousness (ASC) while involved in religious rituals. The question is, why? This paper suggests

an explanation for the culturally prescribed ASC from the view of Fisher information. It argues

from the position, first put forward by Emile Durkheim in his magnum opus, The Elementary

Forms of the Religious Life, that all religions are grounded in reality. It suggests that many of the

structural elements of cultural cosmologies are similar and that the ritual induction of ASC may

help to bring individual experience into greater accord …

An Integral Perspective On Depression, Dinu S. Teodorescu

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The integral approach to therapy proposes to accommodate all the etiological factors of

unipolar depression in its theory, as well as to make use of all existing therapies, both pharmacological

and psychological, in the treatment of unipolar depression. Integral Therapy is

compared to cognitive therapy to find evidence for its superiority over the cognitive

approach. It appears that the cognitive therapy is more cost-effective than Integral Therapy

as an individual approach in the treatment of depression, but that the integral perspective

accounts better for etiological factors.

Instrumental And Expressive Violence: Motive For Women's Use Of Violence And Their Perception Of Their Partner's Use Of Violence, Lisa Claire Maisano Kennedy

Theses Digitization Project

In this study, we characterized the motivation for violence as instrumental, expressive, and self-defense. We learned that women perceive their own motivation for violence differently than they perceive their partner's motivation for violence, a form of self-defense, fighting back, and protecting themselves from harm. In contrast, women reported that their partner's motivation for violence was instrumental to get one's way, assert dominance, gain power, or to intimidate one's partner.

Organizing Madness: Psychiatric Nosology In Historical Perspective, Eric D. Jackson

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper traces the history of psychiatric nosology in the US from its origins in the early 19th century through the most recent revision of the standardized classification, DSM-IV TR. The evolution of nosology is found to be shaped not only by advances in knowledge, but also by socio-historic and professional trends. The initial impetus for systematic classification came from outside the mental health profession, but later revisions reflected intraprofessional struggles and experiences. Future revisions will almost certainly be prone to these same intra- and extraprofessional influences, and may see a dramatic shift away from symptomatology and towards an etiological …

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

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Program Evaluation Of The Practicum I Summer Program From A Student’S Perspective, Matthew J. Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The organization, function, and value of the School Psychology Practicum I summer program at Marshall University Graduate College is examined. The perceptions of students recently completing the practicum are evaluated to determine their association with the program objectives. Data collection utilizes a questionnaire developed from the goals and objectives of the program and the criteria for evaluation of student performance. Frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, and crosstabulation are utilized to assess the data. The students expressed an overall satisfaction with the practicum experience. The study’s limitations are explored and recommendations for program improvement are presented.

Gamma Oscillations Correlate With Working Memory Load In Humans, Marc W. Howard, Daniel S. Rizzuto, Jeremy B. Caplan, Joseph R. Madsen, John Lisman

Psychology - All Scholarship

Functional imaging of human cortex implicates a diverse network of brain regions supporting working memory—the capacity to hold and manipulate information for short periods of time. Although we are beginning to map out the brain networks supporting working memory, little is known about its physiological basis. We analyzed intracranial recordings from two epileptic patients as they performed a working memory task. Spectral analyses revealed that, in both patients, gamma (30-60 Hz) oscillations increased approximately linearly with memory load, tracking closely with memory load over the course of the trial. This constitutes the first evidence that gamma oscillations, widely implicated in …

Personality Profiles Of Iditasport Ultra-Marathon Participants, Kristin J. Stuempfle, Sherri Lind Hughes, H. Samuel Case, Deborah S. Evans

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Each February, competitors convene in Big Lake, Alaska, to participate in the “Iditasport Human Powered Ultra-Marathon”. Who would attempt this challenging race? Personality might be one factor predicting participation. Iditasport represents a unique athletic event with a distinctive social and psychological climate that might be reflected in the personalities of the participants in many ways. This study was designed to identify the personality profile of Iditasport athletes when compared to normative populations and to explore differences between athletes competing in different race divisions.

The Effects Of Social Support On Perceived Mood And Perceived Muscle Tension, Ashley B. Karr

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The researcher examined the effects of social support on stress reactivity following a moderate psychological stressor. The first independent variable (IV), social support, had two levels: alone (A) and pairs (P). The participants in the pairs level took part in the study with a friend. Participants in the alone level took part in the study by themselves. The second IV, period, had two levels: pre-stressor (Pre) and post-stressor (Post). Stress was induced with a mental arithmetic serial subtraction task and was measured by perceived mood state with the Perception of Mood States (POMS) and perceived muscle tension with the Nordic …

Process, Structure, And Form: An Evolutionary Transpersonal Psychology Of Consciousness, Allan Combs, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In the spirit of William James, we present a process view of human consciousness. Our approach,

however, follows upon Charles Tart’s original systems theory analysis of states of consciousness,

although it differs in its reliance on the modern sciences of complexity, especially dynamical systems

theory and its emphasis on process and evolution. We argue that consciousness experience

is constructive in the sense that it is the result of ongoing self-organizing and self-creating

(autopoietic) processes in the mind and body. These processes follow a broad developmental

agenda already described by psychologists such as Jean Piaget. Similar constructive transformations

of consciousness appear …

Stimulating Fear Reduction: Visual Stimulus, Verbal And Spatial Concentration And Their Effects On Fear, Gregory E. Dixon

Modern Psychological Studies

Studies have suggested that visual stimuli evoking positive emotions may counter the effects of negative emotions. A high level of involvement in a distracting task may reduce the severity of negative emotions. This study combined visual stimuli with level of mental involvement to determine if they had an effect on fear. It was posited that two types of visual stimuli—amusing and spatial—would lower fear, and a high level of involvement with each stimulus would enhance this effect. The stimuli were delivered over the Internet. Fear level was measured using the self-report for the word "afraid" from PANAS. A significant interaction …

Sex, Beauty, And The Relative Luminance Of Facial Features, Richard Russell

Psychology Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that the consistent luminance difference between the darker regions of the eyes and mouth and the lighter regions that surround them forms a pattern unique to faces. One of the more consistent uses of cosmetics to make the female face more attractive is to darken the eyes and mouth relative to the surrounding skin. The hypothesis that the size of the luminance difference between the eyes and mouth and the rest of the face affects the attractiveness of male and female faces differently was tested in four experiments in which attractiveness ratings were obtained for images …

Factors Influencing Substance Abuse/Dependence And Treatment Outcome Of Adolescents In A Residential Substance Abuse Program: An Exploratory Study, Melissa L. Moody

Masters Theses

Previous research examining the risk factors associated with alcohol and other drug use has primarily focused on the adult population. Few studies have investigated the factors which influence adolescent substance abuse and the respective effects on treatment outcome. This in spite of the considerable decline in the age-of-onset for problematic substance use that could, if gone untreated, escalate into dependence and a variety of other interpersonal problems which extend across the lifespan. Effective interventions targeting the adolescent population would therefore seem to be of utmost importance to both researchers and clinicians. It has been suggested that individualized treatment programs focusing …

Storying The Body : Women's Narratives Through The Lens Of Breast Cancer, Janet A. Griffin

Theses : Honours

What can women's narratives contribute to our understanding of breast cancer and to feminist theories of the body? This thesis explores the meanings women construct to make sense of embodied experiences of breast cancer, and the profound experience of breast loss. Rich contextual data was elicited from in depth, guided conversations with five premenopausal women who have undergone mastectomy. Adopting feminist methodology, biographic-narrative was used to place the body at the heart of inquiry. This thesis explores the personal and theoretical meanings of mastectomy, embedded in the larger story of how these five women experience their breasts, throughout their lives. …

Differences In Friendship Qualities Of Korean And American College Students, Yun-Sun Alexis Bae '03

Honors Projects

The present study explored the friendship characteristics of Korean and American college students. Participants (41 Koreans and 87 Americans) described their friends using a questionnaire (Friendship Quality Questionnaire) and an interview. Because of the inadequacy of the interview coding system, the interview data were not analyzed. Analysis of the FQQ supported the hypothesis that Koreans exhibit higher exclusivity than Americans, but no other country effects emerged. Both U.S. and Korean women reported more intimate disclosure than men. Friendship characteristics of Korea and U.S. students were conceptualized using concepts such as Individualism and Collectivism, Confucianism, and the Korean term "cheong" (affection). …

Enduring Deep Sorrow: Depression Among Religious College Women, Kara E. Wolff '03

Honors Projects

The transition into college can lead to stress which can lead to depression in both men and women (e.g. Lopez & Gormley, 2002). Depression cripples both men and women. The lifetime risk of major depression is 10-25% for women and 5-12% for men (Greenspan, 2001). Mild symptoms rob men and women of energy needed for academic and social pursuits (Beeber, 1999). Depression results in poor over-all functioning, emotional behavioral problems and low self-esteem (Reinherz, Giaconia, Hauf, Wasserman & Silverman, 1999). Individuals with depression also have more problems in intimate relationships with friends and family (Reinherz et al., 1999). This exploratory …

The Role Of Prefrontal Theta Reset In Learning And Memory, Stephen W. Smith '03

Honors Projects

Theta reset, in which the rhythmic firing of neurons stops and then restarts to the onset of a stimulus, is believed to improve encoding and retrieval of stimuli by causing stimuli to be time-locked to waves of depolarization in the HPC. Recent research by Williams et al. (in preparation) has demonstrated that, in rats, theta reset occurs 1) in several cortical areas including the anterior cingulate (AC), 2) occurs during different phases of a working memory task for different cortical areas, and 3) can be predictive of working memory task performance. In the current study, human participants received EEG recording …

The Effects Of A Parent-Child Communication Intervention On The Worries Of Siblings Of Children With Autism, Erin L. O'Neill '03

Honors Projects

This study was designed to assess the effects of parent-child activities on the siblings and parents of children with autism. Existing research suggests that the experience of having an autistic child in the family is highly variable and may have negative outcomes for the typical sibling. The difficulty in predicting sibling outcome may be caused by the lack of a theoretical framework organizing the factors hypothetically affecting sibling coping abilities, therefore a stress and coping model of siblings of children with autism is provided. Currently there has been only limited information reporting successful intervention efforts for this population. The current …

Effects Of Ginko Biloba On Memory In Rats For Maze Tricks, Christopher Deleon

Modern Psychological Studies

Previous studies have investigated the effects of an extract of ginkgo biloba on acquisition, performance and retention in rats. It has been suggested that ginkgo increases mental precision by increasing blood flow to the brain. To determine whether ginkgo is a memory enhancer two female Sprague Dawley rats were tested for maze performance during four stages. Stages included four days of maze performance and four days of no maze performance. Subjects were tested in each stage with or without ginkgo in their water supply. It was predicted that subjects would show improved maze performance as measured by a decrease in …

Crime And Violence In Men With Schizophrenia: A Literature Review, Bianca Dijulio

Modern Psychological Studies

This literature review examines the strength of the relationship between schizophrenia and violence, symptoms associated with violence in schizophrenics, and two drug treatments associated with treating violence in schizophrenia. In terms of the relationship between schizophrenia and violence, schizophrenia does not surpass other mental illnesses in its association with violence; however, just as other mental illnesses do, it surpasses the normal population in levels of violence. Two symptoms, hostility and suspiciousness, are common in violent schizophrenics. In contrast, antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy have not been clearly associated with violent schizophrenics, most likely due to methodological problems. Similarly, hallucinations, delusions, …

What Archetypes Of Representation Do Children Between The Ages Of Four And Seven Employ When Creating Route Maps Of Familiar Interior Spaces?, Christine G. Price

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigated the symbols of representation young children choose to incorporate when they draw route maps of familiar interior spaces, based on the premise that development of map-making skills might unfold in much the same stage-like manner as the development of the ability to draw the human figure. In this investigation, children between the ages of 4 and 7 enrolled in a small independent elementary school were each asked to draw a map showing the route a person unfamiliar to the school would take to travel from the child's classroom to the school gymnasium. Strategies during map-making were noted; …

A Path Analysis Of Binge Eating And Obesity In African Americans: Acculturation, Racism, Emotional Distress, Binge Eating, Body Dissatisfaction, Attitudes Towards Obesity, Dietary Restraint, Dietary Fat Intake, And Physical Activity, Joy Rose Kohlmaier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test a general stress-related health behavior model as it applied to binge eating and obesity in African Americans using path analysis. Acculturation, racism, emotional distress, binge eating, and obesity were among the variables related to this theory, and included in the model. Other variables that have been implicated in the study of obesity in African Americans were also included, such as; lack of body dissatisfaction, accepting attitudes towards obesity, decreased dietary restraint, increased dietary fat intake and decreased physical activity. The study sample was 325 African Americans, including 187 females with a mean …

Center For Psychological Studies 2003-2004 Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Center For Psychological Studies 2003-2004 Catalog, Nova Sounteastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Heavy Smokers Choose Large, Immediate Rewards With Large Penalties On A Simulated Task Of Gambling, Michael Shawn Businelle

LSU Master's Theses

The Gambling Task is a complex neuropsychological test (in the form of a card game) that examines the ability of individuals to assess potential immediate gains over long-term losses. Gambling Task performance has been examined in previous studies with individuals who are dependent on alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamine. These studies have shown that those who are dependent on the aforementioned substances perform more poorly on the Gambling Task than controls. Specifically, in relation to controls, drug/alcohol dependent individuals show impairment by tending to pick more cards that have large immediate gains and very large delayed punishers. The delayed punisher …

The Relationship Of Feeding Problems With The Use Of Antiepileptic Medication Among Persons With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Rinita B. Laud

LSU Master's Theses

Epilepsy and/or seizure activity are frequently occurring phenomena and a significant co-morbid condition for persons with severe to profound intellectual disability (Burke, McKee, Pathak, Donahue, Parasuraman & Baltenhorst, 1999). The majority of seizure activity leads to deficits across a number of social, physical,occupational, and personal variables, and if left untreated, may lead to death in these individuals. The treatment of this condition frequently utilizes anti-epileptic medication, but these medications are often associated with a variety of side effects such as dental complications and disturbed gait. Previous researchers have suggested that these side effects may be manifested in forms of maladaptive …

"You Just Give Them What They Want And Pray They Don’T Kill You”: Street-Level Sex Workers’ Reports Of Victimization, Personal Resources And Coping Strategies, Rochelle L. Dalla Dr., Yan Xia, Heather Kennedy

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Using both qualitative (in-depth, personal interviews) and quantitative (self-report survey indices) techniques, data were collected from 43 women involved in streetwalking prostitution. The purpose of the investigation was to examine exposure to violence and victimization among a particularly vulnerable female population across the life span. A secondary goal was to apply stress theory as an organizing frameworkfor examining personal resources (e.g., social support, locus of control) and coping behavior. Results from both data collection strategies are presented, and implications for intervention are described.

The Phenomenon Of Woman-On-Woman Abuse And Its Relationship To Gender Profile And Personal Experiences Of Women, Deborah Johnson Spence

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study. Female-on-female aggression is often inferred, or drawn from studies conducted with children or males. Little or no information is available that reports behaviors perceived as mistreatment or abuse among women. The purposes of this study were to investigate (a) behaviors demonstrated by women that women consider abuse or mistreatment; (b) the extent to which these perceptions of abuse/mistreatment were related to gender profiles; and (c) the extent to which personal experiences as victims or perpetrators of abuse were related to age, race, and education.

Method. This study used the survey research method in which questionnaires …