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Changes In Cortical Processing Following Unilateral Visual Cortex Deafferentation, Matthew Gannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the loss of inputs, cells in visual cortex adapt and begin representing space beyond their classical receptive fields. This ability for functional reorganization is a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. Homonymous hemianopia is a unique case of this scenario that results from hemispheric deafferentation, or when all visual inputs in to one hemisphere of the brain are lost. This condition occurs due to unilateral damage of the post-chiasmatic geniculo-striate pathway, the network that carries visual information from one side of visual space to the visual cortex for processing. Damage to this pathway causes perceptual blindness in the side of space …

Social Anxiety Reduction In The Context Of Social Modeling Utilizing A Placebo Alcohol Beverage, Kyle K. Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol misuse and elevated social anxiety are found to be highly comorbid, and being exposed to social models consuming alcohol can increase one’s consumption. Yet no research has thus far examined whether the internal experience of alcohol consumption (e.g., social anxiety reduction) can also be transmitted via social modeling. This bar-lab study examined the impact of social modeling behavioral cues of social anxiety on emerging adult drinkers. It was hypothesized that those exposed to a social model experiencing an apparent social anxiety reduction from drinking would themselves report lessened state social anxiety following a placebo drink, and that this effect …

Processing Speed For Action And Semantic Memory, Tyler A. Surber

Master's Theses

Previous research suggests that the processing of affordances may require more perceptually relevant information than words can provide (Surber et al., 2018; Chainay & Humphreys, 2002). The present study investigates this hypothesis with the shoebox task used in Bowers and Turner (2003). A list of 81 object nouns (targets) and associated features (primes: affordance, semantic, and non-associates) was compiled from the McRae, Cree, Seidenberg, and McNorgan (2005) norms. Affordances denote possibilities for action in relation to the object (e.g. chair – sit), whereas semantic features indicate definitional characteristics (e.g. chair – has legs). Affordances and semantic features served as primes …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Bedtime Routines And Sleep In Toddlers, Amanda Prokasky

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ample research has examined the impacts of sufficient and high-quality sleep on children’s health, development, and well-being (Chen, Beydoun, & Wang, 2008; Gregory & Sadeh, 2012; Touchette et al., 2009), yet less research has focused on the factors that contribute to sufficient and high-quality sleep in early childhood. The bedtime routine is one environmental influence on children’s sleep that has received little attention in the literature base and therefore is the focus of the current study.

In a sample of 399 30-month old toddlers studied over the course of one year, three aims were investigated: the within-age consistency of the …

Assessing Perfectionism As A Predictor Of Exercise Dependency Over Time., Sarah E. Ernst

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Exercise is generally thought to be beneficial for physical and mental health; however, when done in excess, exercise can lead to damaging physical, psychological, and social health consequences. This type of exercise is known as exercise dependency and is frequently associated with eating disorder pathology. Perfectionism (high standards and evaluative concerns) is a risk factor for eating disorders and is also associated with exercise dependency. However, no studies have examined longitudinal relationships between perfectionism and exercise dependency. The current study used a sample of adolescent females (N = 444) from a Southeastern United States high school, and participants completed …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Association Between Childhood Maltreatment And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study In The United States, Diep N. Poulos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This retrospective cohort study analyzed self-reported and biological data collected from MIDUS in 2004-2006 to understand the association between the types of childhood maltreatment (CM) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The central hypothesis of this study is that childhood maltreatment is positively associated with adult onset diabetes (T2DM). CM has been associated with lifelong morbidity and an increased risk in chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (Bernstein RE, 2013). In this study, CM was defined by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The CTQ has three types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and two types of neglect: physical …

The Potential Impact Of Restricting The Sale Of Tobacco At Tobacco Retail Outlets Surrounding Schools Across Major Metropolitan Areas Of Texas On Tobacco Advertisements, Udoka C. Obinwa

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Retail outlets that sell tobacco (ROST) are the leading channel of advertisements and promotional efforts for tobacco companies. Tobacco companies strategically target youth, young adults, racial and ethnic minorities and individuals in lower SES areas with more advertisements, which in turn influences their tobacco use behavior. Researchers have proposed instituting place-based restriction strategies as a way to control tobacco use. This dissertation examined the potential impact of i) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 1000ft of schools and 2000ft of colleges and ii) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 500ft of other ROST, on the number …

Clinical And Demographic Factors Associated With Peg-Asparaginase-Related Toxicities In Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Priyadarshani Dharia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-asparaginase is one of the first-line drugs in pediatric ALL treatment. Although a complete and prolonged treatment with PEGasparaginase has been instrumental in improving the survival of ALL patients, it is associated with four common toxicities: hypersensitivity, hyperbilirubinemia, pancreatitis, and venous thromboembolism (VTE). PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities may require modifications and delays in treatment, which often leads to poor treatment outcomes. Previous studies of PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities have mainly focused on individual toxicities. Further, these studies were conducted in study populations which were predominantly self-reported non-Hispanic whites. Therefore, there is a gap in the knowledge regarding the cumulative burden of …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Moving Beyond The Single Gene: Integrative Gene Set Analysis For Rna-Seq, Andrew Richard Aschenbrenner

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

RNA-seq is the next-generation sequencing technology for gene expression and while many tools have been developed to assess differential expression, most focus on gene-level statistics. Gene-level statistics implicitly ignore any dependence among genes. In order to directly incorporate correlation into testing for differential expression, genes are sorted into networks using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and the gene expression of each network is modeled using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). Since the gene network data often exhibits correlation structures containing positive and negative values, a new intermediate correlation structure is developed. This structure provides a compromise between an exchangeable (one parameter for …

The Associations Between Fat And Clinical Outcomes Among Lung Cancer Patients: Dietary Intake And Genetic Determinants, Fang Yu Lin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Higher dietary fat intake and alterations in fatty acid metabolism may affect cancer development and progression. This dissertation conducted a series of studies examining whether dietary fat intake and genetic variants in fatty acid metabolism genes have an impact on clinical outcomes among non-Hispanic whites newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). First, a cohort of 2,262 NSCLC patients was prospectively examined for intakes of total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat in relation to overall survival and recurrence. Dietary fat intake at diagnosis was assessed with a previously validated food frequency questionnaire and categorized by Dietary Reference Intakes. Multivariable …

Examining Differences In Physical Activity By Socio-Demographics, Employment, And Social Support Among U.S. Adolescents, Ashleigh Marie Johnson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The overall decline in physical activity levels during adolescence supports the examination of intrapersonal-, interpersonal-, and behavior-level factors that may influence physical activity behavior among this population. The three papers within this dissertation aimed to examine associations of socio-demographics and socio-environmental factors with physical activity among U.S. adolescents. Papers 1 and 3 used data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study. Paper 1 examined differences in adolescent physical activity by gender and race/ethnicity, and examined modification by grade and socioeconomic status (SES). Paper 3 examined the association of parent- and adolescent-reported parental social support with adolescent …

Understanding The Relatlonships Between Survivorship Care Plans And Survivor Level Outcomes Among Breast And Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Jessica Danielle Austin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

PURPOSE: Cancer survivors have complex journeys following the completion of active treatment. The Institute of Medicine and other high-profile organizations have recommended and mandated the use of a survivorship care plan (SCP) despite mixed evidence supporting the impact of SCPs on key survivor-level outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the complex relationship linking the delivery of SCPs and to relevant survivorlevel outcomes. STUDY GROUP: This dissertation focuses on breast and colorectal cancer survivors because they comprise nearly 30% of the entire cancer survivor population in the US and are the two most prevalent cancers in men and …

The Effect Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Psychosocial Wellbeing, Gabrielle C. Yundt

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

As a result of adversity, trauma, or maltreatment, a child’s primary defense is to engage in self-blame in order to maintain a belief in a safe world. Without intervention, these adaptive strategies may continue to shape the way survivors relate to themselves and make meaning out of negative events. This study hypothesized that participants with adversity in childhood have an increased likelihood of low self-compassion (indicating tendencies towards self-judgment, overidentification, and isolation). This study further hypothesized a positive correlation between posttraumatic growth, resilience and hardiness. Participants in this study were adults recruited from three online sites (social networking, online forum, …

Comparison Of Neurofeedback Treatment On Ptsd Symptoms Within Military And Non-Military Populations, Lelah S. Villalpando

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Novel, effective, and accessible therapeutic interventions for treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms are in demand given the significant physical and psychosocial impairment associated with the disorder. Although PTSD is largely treated using various forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, treatment-resistance, or non-response, rates continue to remain high. Research has shown that talk-therapies can often trigger the limbic system, keeping it in a continual state of fight or flight. Consequently, many trauma survivors are motivated to consider alternative treatments for PTSD, such as artifact corrected EEG neurofeedback training, shifting the primary focus of the intervention away from the emotional part of …

The Role Of Gamma Oscillations And Cortical Inhibition In The Development Of Working Memory In Adolescence, Christopher P. Walker

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Adolescence is a dynamic period of social, cognitive, and biological changes. In particular, working memory, the ability to actively encode and maintain information over a short period of time, develops early in childhood and gradually increases in capacity and stability during adolescence. The precise neurophysiological mechanism by which working memory capacity increases during adolescence is unclear. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the role of cortical gamma-band (> 30 Hz) oscillations—which are associated with working memory in adults—for the development of working memory capacity in adolescents, and to identify the extent to which the temporal profile of gamma-aminobutyric …

The Political Personality Of Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Anne Marie Griebie, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Note: The paper whose abstract appears below, titled "The Political Personality of Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden" has been replaced on the 'Download' tab with an updated paper containing a more thorough personality assessment and a more detailed leadership style analysis, titled "The Political Personality of 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden." The earlier paper has been archived and may be uploaded at the bottom of this page from the hyperlink under 'Additional Files.'

This working paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of former U.S. vice president Joe Biden — a contender for …

Relationship Between Childhood Relationships And Antisocial And Lifestyle Characteristics Of Psychopathic Traits, Esther Kim

Student Theses

Psychopathy is a heterogeneous personality construct that has long been associated with antisocial behaviors and outcomes (Hare, 2003; Walsh & Kosson, 2006). However, some literature suggests that socially deviant behaviors and outcomes may not necessarily be a fundamental component of psychopathy (Cooke & Michie, 2001; DeMatteo, Heilbrun, & Marczyk, 2001; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). Research on externalizing behaviors and psychopathy has broadened from examining the quality of early relationships as a risk factor (Salekin & Lochman, 2008), to also examining early relationships as a potential protective factor against the development of psychopathic characteristics and antisocial outcomes (i.e. Backman, Laajasalo, Jokela, …

Childhood Abuse, Religiosity, And Opioid Use: Findings From The National Epidemiologic Survey On Alcohol And Related Conditions Data, James E. Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religiosity is adopting a belief system surrounding concepts of purpose, meaning, and value through an institution that has already defined these concepts prior to the individual member attending and that member’s degree of participation. Religiosity does have protective factors against negative health outcomes. This protective influence was evaluated in this study. Data from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions were examined to learn about the relationship between protective effects of religious participation on substance abuse, and whether this association weakened for individuals who have experienced higher levels of childhood abuse. A binary logistic regression …

Association Between Lifetime Adverse Events, Emotion Dysregulation, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Acculturation, And Chronic Pain: A Moderated Mediation Model, Miriam El-Haj

Theses and Dissertations

The association between traumatic experiences and chronic pain is well established. Lesser is known about how acculturation might affect this relation, specifically with Hispanics. In the present study, self-report measures on traumatic experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, emotion dysregulation, chronic pain, and acculturation were administered to 140 participants (71.4% females) aged 18–65 years old (M = 35.06, SD = 11.55), to determine whether acculturation moderates the relation between adverse lifetime experiences and chronic pain as mediated by posttraumatic stress symptoms and emotion dysregulation.

Those who were highly acculturated to the U.S. Anglo culture were higher on chronic pain than those who …

The Influence Of Neural Reward Processing On Memory In Depression, Nathan M. Hager

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Theories and research suggest that depression involves impaired reward sensitivity and a deficit in memory for rewarding stimuli. Some researchers propose that this memory deficit may result from reduced neural reward sensitivity, which impairs the encoding of reward-related memories, but few studies have directly probed this connection. Such research may benefit from examining the reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential (ERP) previously linked to reduced reward sensitivity in depression. Undergraduates with high or low self-reported depression completed a task in which they chose one of three doors, revealing a neutral word written in a color which indicated an outcome of …

Elevated Adhd Symptoms As A Predictor Of Rule Violations Among Male Juvenile Offenders, Kathleen Lolley Ramsey

Master's Theses

Youth with ADHD are disproportionately at-risk for engaging in criminality and aggression relative to the general population, and this may be a function of underlying executive function deficits associated with self-regulation. More specifically, youth with ADHD may be susceptible to difficulties with behavioral regulation (impulsivity) and emotional regulation (e.g., managing feelings of anger). The current study sought to expand on previous research to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and aggression and the potential moderating effects of anger control among institutionalized youth. Archival data comprising a sample (N=119) of male adolescents who were admitted to a maximum-security residential facility were …

The Quiet Classroom Game With An Indiscriminable Contingency In A High School, Stefanie Schrieber

Master's Theses

The Quiet Classroom Game (QCG) is an interdependent group contingency utilized to decrease classroom noise levels, increase student engagement, and decrease disruptive behaviors in the classroom setting. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of the QCG in three high school classrooms in the Southeastern United States. Classrooms were recruited based on teacher reports of excessive noise and high rates of disruptive behavior. A multiple baseline design with two intervention phases was utilized to examine the effects of the intervention. The first phase was the QCG alone, and the second phase was the QCG with an …

Degree Of Bilingualism, Age, Income And Teacher Ratings Of Giftedness As Potential Predictors Of Dichotic Listening Performance, Francisco J. Sierra

Theses and Dissertations

Bilinguals and gifted individuals have consistently shown distinctive patterns of performance on measures of brain laterality and auditory processing. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between bilingualism, teacher ratings of giftedness, and auditory divided attention by comparing children and adults with income partialed out. Child participants from first to fifth grade were included in addition to an adult comparison group. Assessment of bilingualism, auditory divided attention, and giftedness occurred via the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey-III (WMLS-III), the Dichotic Test of Attention (DITA), and the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI). The main hypothesis of this study is …

We All Need Somebody To Lean On: Social Support As A Protective Factor For Individuals With Childhood Adversity, Rachel Clingensmith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research has shown that childhood adversity impacts development across the lifespan and has been linked to numerous negative health outcomes. Depression symptoms are one such outcome that has been associated with ACE exposure. The literature also indicates emotion regulation may be a mediator between ACEs and depression outcomes. The primary aim of this study (N = 766) is to investigate pathways leading from ACEs to depression and potential protective factors. It was hypothesized that difficulties in emotion regulation would mediate the link between ACEs and later depressive symptoms, social support would moderate the pathway between difficulties in emotion regulation …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Familial Emotion Socialization, And Adult Emotion Regulation: A Moderation Model, Rebecca Otwell-Dove

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with maladaptive outcomes, including difficulties with emotion regulation (ER). ER difficulties, in turn, increase risk for experiencing physical and mental health problems. Parental emotion socialization is one factor that has been associated with ER skills across development. No known studies, however, have examined whether parental emotion socialization moderates the relationship between ACEs and ER difficulties. In the current study, undergraduates (N = 678) completed questionnaires about their history of ACEs, parental emotion socialization experiences, and current ER difficulties. Correlational results indicated a positive correlation between ACEs and ER difficulties. Results of the hierarchical …

Investigating The Eeg Error-Related Negativity In College Students With Adhd, Anxiety, And Depression, Mariacristina Canini

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Error-related negativity (ERN) is an event-related potential elicited by the commission of errors. It appears as a negative deflection peaking between 50ms and 100ms after an erroneous response. Previous literature demonstrated that individuals who suffer from either anxiety or depression display a higher ERN amplitude compared to a control group. It has also been shown that people with ADHD display a lower ERN amplitude. Based on these findings, we investigated the relationships between these three disorders and their effects on the amplitude of the ERN. We recruited thirty-one students at East Tennessee State University and gathered data on their level …

Expanding The Fear Of Loss Of Vigilance Theory: Using Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Responsibility For Harm, And Fear Of Sleep To Predict Nocturnal Panic Attacks, Nicole S. Smith

Master's Theses

Nocturnal panic involves experiencing panic attacks out of a sleeping state without obvious causes such as nightmares or loud noises. Roughly half of patients with panic disorder will experience nocturnal panic in addition to panic attacks while awake, or daytime panic. Like daytime panic, nocturnal panic also occurs in other disorders such as PTSD. The Fear of Loss of Vigilance theory is currently the only model available to explain nocturnal panic. It suggests that nocturnal panickers fear states in which they cannot easily react to or protect themselves from danger. Prior research using a self-report measure to differentiate nocturnal and …

Relationship Maintenance Behaviors And Marital Stability In Remarriage: The Examination Of Stepfamily Constellations And Associated Challenges, Ron C. Bean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on stepfamily life in the 21^st century reveals unexplored variables at every turn. This is important because around half of American adults report close step-relationships and the challenges and demographic and relational differences for different types of stepfamilies remains unexplored. The first of these studies explored data for 879 husbands and wives couples to explore how positivity, negativity, and sexual interest levels differ depending which of the couple, both partners, or neither had previous children. Wives reported higher levels of marital instability and positivity than husbands. Marital instability was linked with one’s own and one’s partners’ negativity, and …