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Book Review: Reconnecting To The Source By Ervin Laszlo, Elizabeth W. Szatmari Krasnoff

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Quantum philosopher Ervin Laszlo has taken one step further outside of the contemporary mainstream scientific view, which believes in a reductive “scientific” method primarily of highly controlled experiments to determine truth. In this visionary work, Laszlo proposes that the true laws of nature can also be accessed and felt experientially. Here he argues that the new quantum science can support this view, and even assist us as we heal the rift between mind and spirit and reconnect to our source. Laszlo proposes a new paradigm, a holotropic worldview with love as the core attracting force of wholeness. Indeed, as the …

Defining The Relationship Between Maternal Care Behavior And Sensory Development In Wistar Rats: Auditory Periphery Development, Eye Opening And Brain Gene Expression, Jingyun Qiu, Preethi Singh, Geng Pan, Annalisa De Paolis, Frances A. Champagne, Jia Liu, Luis Cardoso, Adrián Rodríguez-Contreras

Advanced Science Research Center

Defining the relationship between maternal care, sensory development and brain gene expression in neonates is important to understand the impact of environmental challenges during sensitive periods in early life. In this study, we used a selection approach to test the hypothesis that variation in maternal licking and grooming (LG) during the first week of life influences sensory development in Wistar rat pups. We tracked the onset of the auditory brainstem response (ABR), the timing of eye opening (EO), middle ear development with micro-CT X-ray tomography, and used qRT-PCR to monitor changes in gene expression of the hypoxia-sensitive pathway and neurotrophin …

Tracing Ripples: The Impact Of Parent Aces On Next Generation Development And The Moderating Role Of Parent Resilience, Laura M. Hoffman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact individual well-being at a biopsychosocial level and can undermine next generation child development. Resilience is increasingly understood to be achieved through natural adaptive systems, though younger children may be more reliant on environmental adaptive systems as internal systems develop. Parent resilience is a promising moderator of early intergenerational trauma transmission but relatively unexplored in terms of safeguarding offspring developmental outcomes. The current study examined if parent ACEs impact offspring overall development and specific developmental domains at 9, 18, and 30 months, and if parent resilience moderates these effects. A series of multiple linear regression, MANOVA, …

A Mega-Analysis Of Personality Prediction: Robustness And Boundary Conditions, Emorie Danielle Beck

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research suggest that personality is an important and robust predictor of life outcomes. However, previous investigations of personality-outcome associations have not adequately accounted for reverse causality and selection bias nor have they examined the boundary conditions of the effects, which has left the robustness conditions of personality-outcome associations unknown. The present study examines the robustness and boundary conditions of personality prediction using 14 personality characteristics to predict 14 health, social, education/work, and societal life outcomes across eight different person- and study-level moderators in 10 longitudinal panel studies in a mega-analytic framework coupled with propensity score matching to control …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Phoenix Project: A Strengths-Based, Trauma-Informed Care Intervention For African American, Transitional Age, Young Adults Living In San Francisco’S Public Housing Community, Lena Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

A QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE PHOENIX PROJECT: A STRENGTHS-BASED, TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE INTERVENTION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN, TRANSITIONAL AGE, YOUNG ADULTS LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO’S PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITY

Abstract

Persistent community violence has had a profound and destructive impact on many urban communities throughout the country. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from community violence is becoming an increasingly frequent diagnosis of African American youth and young adults residing in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point (BVHP) community (San Francisco Department of Public Health, 2012). The Phoenix Project was designed to specifically address and heal symptoms of trauma and facilitate resilience among youth and young …

Turning Everyday Activities Into Play: Building Relationships And Fostering Connections For Adopted And Foster Children, Marissa E. Siu, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2020 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Turning Everyday Activities into Play is a program that was created for foster children, adopted children, and individuals who work with this population in the community. This program uses everyday activities to foster the connection between children and adults. The goal of this program is to use the power of play to support regulation and build stronger bonds and relationships by turning everyday activities into play.

Moderation Of Effects Of Anxiety On Verbal And Visuospatial Short-Term Memory In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rachael Arowolo

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit developmental differences in a number of domains, including memory. Short-term memory (STM) has been studied in children with ASD but the findings have been mixed. Children with ASD are also at increased risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Anxiety has been found to impact short-term (STM) and other cognitive functions in typically developing children. Limited research suggests that trait anxiety is associated with poorer STM in school-aged children with ASD. Given that STM develops throughout early childhood, understanding the impact of anxiety in younger children with ASD may be beneficial in providing the …

Does Touching A Bible Mitigate The Negative Effects Of Ostracism?, Emily Katlyn Johnson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Ostracism – being ignored or excluded by an individual or a group – leads to many negative consequences that can impact individuals behaviorally, physiologically, and cognitively. Considering these consequences, research over ostracism has turned to how individuals can cope with this painful experience. The current study investigated combining religion and touch to cope with ostracism. Participants first played Cyberball, where they were either included or ostracized, and then completed the Need Satisfaction Scale. Afterwards, the participants received a fake error message and were told that they needed to complete the questionnaire again on paper. During this process the touch condition …

The Similar Other Bias: Does Perceived Similarity Impact Judgements Of Goal Commitment?, Brandon J. Higdon

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research investigating our perceptions of others’ goal commitment has found that three variables predict these perceptions: satisfaction, investment, and alternatives. The extent to which feelings of similarity to those we are judging impacts our perceptions of their goal commitment and ability has thus far gone unexplored. The present study sought to investigate the possible moderating role of perceived similarity in judgements of others’ commitment to their goals. Participants read a vignette describing a student musician who was described as either high in goal commitment or low in goal commitment and as similar or dissimilar to the participant. Participants then completed …

Parent Emotion Coaching And Affect Recognition In Theory Of Mind In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Audrey L. O'Connor

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with deficits in social communication and social interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. Theory of Mind (ToM) has been identified as a key factor in social development in both typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD. One proposed explanation for the deficits in social development characteristic in ASD is that deficits in ToM, particularly the ability to infer the mental states of self and others, results in impairments in social development. Researchers have found that affect recognition is a precursor in the development of ToM which occurs …

Generalized Anxiety Symptoms And Interpersonal Self-Perceptions During Stressors: A Prospective Examination Of Psychological And Biological Stress, Jamie A. Lewis

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms endorse negative emotionality, psychosocial dysfunction, and biological dysregulation. Interpersonal dominance and affiliation have also been linked to GAD symptoms. Little research has examined individuals with GAD symptoms in terms of naturalistic stressors and chronic use of interpersonal behaviors. GAD symptoms, as well as lower dominance and affiliation, have been linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysregulation. However, no studies have examined the unique and interacting contributions of GAD symptoms and interpersonal processes to chronic cortisol levels and distress. College students completed baseline measures of GAD symptoms, measures of interpersonal self-perceptions and distress for five weeks, …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project examines the experience of African American male veterans’ social connections with other veterans. Social connection has been found to be a key factor in promoting positive health outcomes and overall well-being. In addition, social connection involves not only a sense of being connected to others but can also include feelings of exclusion. Given the increasing health disparities of between African American and White men, and of our nation’s veteran population, greater attention to factors that promote well-being are essential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of social connection of African American …

Preliminary Evidence Of The Role Of Medial Prefrontal Cortex In Self-Enhancement: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study, Birgitta Taylor-Lillquist, Vivek Kanpa, Maya Crawford, Mehdi El Filali, Julia Oakes, Alex Jonasz, Amanda Disney, Julian Keenan

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Humans employ a number of strategies to improve their position in their given social hierarchy. Overclaiming involves presenting oneself as having more knowledge than one actually possesses, and it is typically invoked to increase one’s social standing. If increased expectations to possess knowledge is a perceived social pressure, such expectations should increase bouts of overclaiming. As the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is sensitive to social pressure and disruption of the MPFC leads to decreases in overclaiming, we predicted that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to the MPFC would reduce overclaiming and the effects would be enhanced in the presence of …

Therapeutic Potential Of A Ketogenic Diet In The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder, Jordan A. Murrin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second most common mental health condition and a leading cause of disability in the world. It is theorized that MDD develops from a combination of biological, psychological, and social stressors. The condition is typically treated using pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy. However, not all individuals with MDD have access to or choose to use these treatments, or may prefer to incorporate therapeutic lifestyle changes such as exercise, sleep, and healthy eating. Even with treatment, MDD can alter brain structure and function, leading to the development of comorbid mental health and chronic metabolic conditions like obesity, cardiovascular …

Survivors Of Human Trafficking: A Review Of Current Mental Health Practices And Recommendations For Improvement, Caleb Andreason

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human trafficking is a global issue that is increasing in prevalence. For survivors and those exploited by human trafficking, the psychological, developmental, and physical health consequences of human trafficking are complex and often debilitating. Unfortunately, there continues to be a lack of attention regarding these issues in the professional psychology literature. A qualitative study was conducted that included nine semi-structured interviews of professionals working with survivors of human trafficking. The data were analyzed and themes were derived using content analysis. The results showed the need for long-term comprehensive care, but many principles found in the research literature have not yet …

School Experiences Of Immigrant And Refugee Students From Kurdistan: Implications For School-Based Professionals, Jessica Williams-Chase

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The present study investigates the educational experiences of immigrants from Kurdistan, including any successes, difficulties, and adjustments to school in the United States. Information was collected from two informants, who reflected on their time in American schools. The study provides teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and other school personnel food for thought when working with specific populations of students.

The goal of this study is not to provide a comprehensive look at experiences of Kurdish youth and young adults. Instead, this study shares the unique stories of participants and highlights a few common experiences that indicate potential barriers to equitable educational …

How Natural Materials Affect Our Perception Of The Built Environment, Iryna Demianiuk

International Programs

Our daily life is shaped by the emotions we feel, and our emotions are highly dependent on the environment we live in. Those connections have been developing through the whole history of humankind, starting with the feeling of shelter near bonfires in caves. Today, we can discover neural responses to environmental conditions and even certain materials around us. Those findings have allowed architects and neuroscientists to work more closely together, and, through that collaboration, the new field of neuroarchitecture appeared. This relatively young discipline explores the way our brain responds to the environmental stimuli we are facing, and how different …

A Qualitative Study Of The Foster Parent Experience: “I Try To Weather The Storm”, Ariel D. Marrero

Dissertations, 2020-current

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of foster parents to understand how they make meaning of their child’s behavior and their training needs. A survey posted to online foster parent support communities gathered information about foster parents’ level of parental reflective functioning, perceptions of training experiences, and reflections on their parenting experience. Responses from 13 participants were collected and analyzed. Quantitative data gathered was used to characterize the sample of participants. Using thematic analysis, nine themes were rendered. Participants identified positive and negative aspects of their parenting experience, reported strong feelings of love, highlighted the impact of trauma on …

Assessing Sex Differences In The Effects Of Short-Term Rem Sleep On Anxiety- And Depressive-Like Behaviors In Rats, Nadia Meshkati

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Findings from both human and animal studies suggest rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disturbances following a traumatic event can lead to inability to extinguish the fear association, and eventually influence the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, research has demonstrated that sleep disruptions, including REM sleep deprivation (RSD), increases anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors and states in animals and people, with evidence of sex differences. Furthermore, it has yet to be determined whether short-term RSD, a more natural animal model of PTSD, can influence affective state of subjects. The present study applied short-term RSD to investigate sex differences in the …

The Development Of Immigrants In Education, Kayla R. Guerrero

University Honors Theses

Being an essential part of American community, immigrants face several challenges as they adjust to life away from their home country. Many of those challenges begin when immigrant students start school in the United States education system. This exploratory research investigates the school experiences of immigrants and whether or not they were supported by their peers, teachers, parents, and community and how that influenced their development. Adult immigrants will reflect back on their education experience through interviews in order for the researcher to contribute a new foundation for immigrant student development research from the perspective of actual immigrants. This will …

Stress And Negative Affect As Mediators In The Association Between Parental Social Support And Lung Function In Adolescents With Asthma, Amber Osorno, Eric Sternlicht, Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, Azucena Talamantes, Anchalee Yuengsrigul, Zeev N. Kain, Brooke Jenkins

SURF Posters and Papers

Asthma is the leading chronic condition amongst children in the United States as 7.5% of children are diagnosed with asthma. Studies have shown that positive social support is associated with positive asthma management. A strong social support system predicts good management of asthma symptoms; however, current literature has not yet examined how social support impacts lung function as opposed to merely symptom management. Stress and negative affect have been revealed to be associated with worse asthma control, as well as exacerbation of symptoms. Stressful situations, such as the death of a family member, unemployment, and familial tensions lead to worsening …

An Examination Of The Rdoc Negative Valence Systems Domain Constructs And Self-Report Unit Of Analysis, Anni Hasratian

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

In response to shortcomings with the current categorical diagnostic classification system for mental health disorders, such as reliance on fixed disorder definitions and heterogeneity within disorders, the National Institute of Mental Health proposed the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative to move towards a dimensional approach using translational research. The current study examined associations between widely used measures of behaviors, cognitions and mental health symptoms and how they overlap in the Negative Valence Systems (NVS) domain. Specifically, we examined how self-reports unit of analysis reflect the acute threat, potential threat, sustained threat, frustrative non-reward, and loss constructs proposed by RDoC.

Participants, …

Walking On The Bright Side: Relations Between Depression, Affect, And Gait, Divya Kumar

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Embodiment theories posit symptoms of psychopathology, such as depression, can be mirrored in physical behaviors. Gait, or an individual’s walking style, is an aspect of embodiment that has received much attention. Studies (primarily consisting of older, inpatient samples) have found that depressed patients demonstrate slower gait velocity compared to healthy controls. However, no study to date has examined relations between gait and depression severity or whether there is a particular affective symptom (i.e.: negative or positive affect) that more strongly accounts for this difference. Further, a majority of studies have not tested younger samples, where psychomotor changes may be a …

Social Anxiety, Depression, And Emotional Congruence, Talha Alvi

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety and depression are associated with interpretation biases and impairment in social cognitive ability (e.g., understanding the mental states of others), yet there is little known about their associations with emotional congruence (i.e., the extent to which a perceiver shares the emotional experience of a target). The present study examined the association between dimensional levels of social anxiety, depression, and emotional congruence, as well as the moderating role of anhedonia and stimuli valence. Neither social anxiety nor depressive symptoms significantly predicted emotional congruence. Further, no significant associations were found when including the moderators following multiple test correction. Although previous …

Airway Hydrogen Peroxide During A Naturalistic Period Of Sustained Psychological Stress In Individuals With Asthma And Healthy Controls, Chelsey Werchan

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species in the form of exhaled hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and nitric oxide (NO) are important biological markers of inflammation and immune response in the airways of both asthmatics and healthy individuals. Previous research has linked psychological distress to changes in these processes in the airways, which can impact overall disease management outcomes. The current study examined changes in H₂O₂, NO, mood, and other physiological measures during times of prolonged stress using a naturalistic paradigm. Both healthy and asthmatic participants were assessed at three separate time periods; once during a low …

Merging Two Scales: A Comprehensive Measure Of Physical Appearance-Related Social Anxieties, Kimberly Smith

Dissertations

Physical appearance-related social anxieties have been identified as feelings individuals experience in general and in different social situations based on their outward appearance. Two instruments have been used to assess the construct of social anxiety, the social physique anxiety scale (SPAS) and the social appearance anxiety scale (SAAS). This cross-sectional study implemented a non-experimental design with randomization of the total sample (n=1214) into three equal groups. Participants were recruited using a crowdsource sampling platform, MTurk. This study was broken into three Phases: confirming the factor models for the SPAS and SAAS, using an exploratory technique to determine the factor structure …

Trait Conscientiousness And Agreeableness In Relation To Positive And Negative Mood Self-Perceived Altruism, Justin Thomas Robertello

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

While much research has been done on altruism and people's perceptions of the altruistic tendencies of others, perception of altruism as it relates to self, especially in relation to the influence of internal states, lacks similarly extensive investigation. This study aims to explore how the stable internal states of personality and the fluid states of mood play a role in our own perceptions of our altruistic tendencies. Participants were provided with a personality questionnaire and exposed to image sets designed to induce positive or negative mood. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was administered post mood induction to verify …

Using Behavior Skills Training To Increase Quality Parent Talk During A Read-Aloud, Britnea Monaco

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Reading to children is one way to engage a child in high-level conversations that go beyond the explicit message of the book. There is a positive correlation between the amount of high-quality caregiver/child joint attention activities and language development. The purpose of this study was to use Behavior Skills Training to teach parents seven component reading skills in order to increase parents word count and quality of words read during read-alouds with their children. Results showed as parents mastered the seven reading components they increased their overall word count. Implications of these findings are discussed within the context of caregiver/child …

The Influence Of Childhood Trauma And Ptsd Symptoms On Attention And Adhd Symptoms In Adulthood: An Eeg Study, Kylie M. Jupp

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: The influence of childhood trauma on clinical and cognitive functioning, specifically attention, has a large research base. However, the majority of studies have examined response inhibition to measure attention, and very few studies have evaluated how childhood trauma influences attentional control behavior and brain activity. Additionally, I aimed to integrate the use of the Allostatic Load Theory (ALT) to examine the outcome of negative attentional outcomes through the input of traumatic stressors. I addressed the above limitation and incorporated the ALT by investigating the influence of childhood trauma, community violence, and PTSD symptoms on attention performance and brain activity …

Neuroticism As The Intensity, Reactivity, And Variability In Day-To-Day Affect, Garrett C. Hisler, Zlatan Krizan, Tracy Dehart, Aidan G.C. Wright

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Neuroticism has been linked to typical levels of affect, affect reactivity to negative events, and variability in affect over time. However, the intercorrelations among these characteristics make it unclear whether neuroticism reflects unique variance in each of these aspects of emotional life. Data from two daily-diary samples revealed that neuroticism was associated with average levels and variability of positive and negative affect and reactivity of negative affect to stressors, but was only uniquely related to mean levels of positive and negative affect. Findings highlight the substantial overlap in affect indices, suggesting that mean levels of affect, at the very least, …