Digital Commons Network^™

Conflict Management Training In Video-Based Teams, Alexis Ward

Master's Theses

In the wake of an emerging economy that demands organizational agility, globalization and an increasing number of independent contractors, corporations have exponentially incorporated virtual teams in their organizations. However, despite their financial and geographical convenience, research has indicated that virtual teams have consistently experienced more conflict and lowered performance and satisfaction levels than that of their traditional counterparts. The present study sought to examine whether conflict management training could help video based virtual teams demonstrate more positive conflict handling techniques and less negative techniques, which would result in higher group process and group outcome satisfaction. This study did not find …

Kali Psychi, Judith A. Reisman Phd, Aaron Nazif J.D., Mary Mcalister Esq.

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Do Borderline Personality Disorder Features Predict Emotion Regulation Use And Outcomes In Daily Life? An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study, Kayla Scamaldo

ETD Archive

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with emotion dysregulation, reflected by frequent use of maladaptive responses and infrequent use of adaptive responses. However, studies on emotion regulation (ER) use and BPD have primarily employed survey methodology and it’s unclear whether these responses are deployed in daily life. Further, it is unclear if there are differences in the effectiveness of various ER responses among individuals with elevated BPD symptoms. Therefore, this study examined whether BPD symptoms predict increased use of maladaptive strategies, including rumination, suppression, and substance use, and decreased use of adaptive strategies, distraction and problem solving, in daily life. …

An Assessment Of The Perceptions Of School Professionals Regarding Prenatal Substance Exposure, Aliyah Vicia Mickey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs are at higher risk of experiencing academic and behavioral difficulties as they become students. Current research is limited on the specific long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive effects for school-aged children. As these children advance into the schools, they need knowledgeable school professionals and evidence-based interventions that will support their academic and behavioral well-being. The purpose of the current investigation served to gather information regarding school professionals’ experiences, knowledge, and self-efficacy related to prenatal substance exposure of students. The results from the survey indicated school professionals are reporting having general knowledge of facets …

Are Trauma Memories State-Dependent? Intrusive Memories Following Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault, Anna E. Jaffe, Jessica A. Blayney, Michele Bedard-Gilligan, Debra Kaysen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Sexual assault (SA) frequently occurs under the influence of alcohol, and is often followed by both drinking and posttraumatic stress symptoms, including intrusive memories. Although many theories attempt to explain the co-occurrence of alcohol use and posttraumatic stress, one possibility not yet considered is that SA memories may be more likely to occur when there is an encoding-retrieval match in alcohol intoxication state.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the potential for intrusive memories of SA to be state-dependent, such that intrusive memories for alcohol-involved SA may be more likely to occur in the context of …

Unmet Expectations In Healthcare Settings: Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Adults In The Central Great Plains, Heather Meyer

Trans Collaborations Academic Papers

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face a long-term, multi-faceted process if they choose to begin a gender affirmation journey. Decisions to go on hormone therapy and/or have a surgical procedure necessitate the TGD individual to set up an appointment with a healthcare provider. However, when TGD patients interact with healthcare practitioners, problems can arise. This article documents and categorizes the types of unmet expectations that are common in the TGD patient-healthcare provider social dynamic in the Central Great Plains of the United States. Utilizing a community-based participatory research model, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 TGD individuals about …

The Art Of Caring: Increasing Empathy Through Conversation, Joy Harlynking

Honors Program Theses

In our every day lives we use empathy more than we would assume, however a current empathy deficit has led us to wonder how we can increase our empathy. The present study aimed to find a way to increase one’s empathy, specifically through an emotional conversation with another individual. There were 61 participants who were separated into either an emotional or factual conversation group. They first took surveys including the IRI, closeness questions, and the pre Revised Eyes Test and then engaged in conversation with another participant. They then took a post Revised Eyes Test after their conversation. The results …

Ecopedagogy: Learning How To Participate In Ecological Consciousness, Peterson, Eric

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

This paper is the result of an inquiry into ecological consciousness through a participatory paradigm. The dialectical relationship between institutionalized education and consciousness is central to this inquiry’s focus. This exploration into ecological consciousness has lead to the following question: How can institutionalized education be designed, delivered, and experienced in a way that nurtures ecological intelligence, ecological consciousness, and more importantly, ecological activism? The ‘sense of self ‘is a central theme within the paper, and led to the conception of intraearthal and interearthal relationships as a way of communicating our need to identify as being in Earth. The author utilizes …

Depictions Of Genetic Research In Film Across Film Genres, Jennifer Lund

Undergraduate Honors Theses

When people do not have personal experience to draw on, the experiences of characters in film can serve in the mind as a substitute. This research sought to determine what kind of impression films depicting genetics research leave on the audience. These genres were romance (Code 46, 2004), horror (Splice, 2009), thriller (Children of Men, 2006), and drama (Gattaca, 1997). Scenes from the films were analyzed to determine their likely effect on the audience perception of genetics. The researcher hypothesized that the drama and romance films would portray genetics research as neutral, but the science …

Relationship Between Forensic Exposure And Forensic Knowledge, Giovanna M. Alves

Honors Undergraduate Theses

It has been shown that popular crime television series can have an impact in the behavior and perception of viewers. Forensic evidence, or evidence that is gathered through scientific methods, is often central to the plot of these shows. Exposure to forensic evidence in these shows has impacted the legal system by changing perceptions and opinions towards evidence presented in courtrooms, a consequence termed the CSI effect. A subset of the CSI effect named the Police Chief's Effect refers to the ability of criminals to learn about forensic evidence from these shows. Although understudied, the Police Chief's effect has the …

Relationships Between Broad Aspects Of Personality Functioning And Generalized Anxiety Severity, Ashley A. Lee Lum

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study looked at the relationship between personality functioning and generalized anxiety severity with the use of the Level of Personality Functioning – Self-Report Scale (LPFS-SR). This scale looks at the four core functions of personality: Identity, Intimacy, Empathy and Self-Direction. The population consisted of undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida who completed the study online (n = 1335; 63.7% female; mean age = 19.85, SD = 3.64, range = 18-57). Findings revealed that generalized anxiety severity related to more identity and empathy problems in both men and women. For both findings, women showed a stronger effect size …

Is Perceived Intentionality Of A Virtual Robot Influenced By The Kinematics?, Jordan Sasser

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research has shown that in Human-Human Interactions kinematic information reveals that competitive and cooperative intentions are perceivable and suggests the existence of a cooperation bias. The present study invokes the same question in a Human-Robot Interaction by investigating the relationship between the acceleration of a virtual robot within a virtual reality environment and the participants perception of the situation being cooperative or competitive by attempting to identify the social cues used for those perceptions. Five trials, which are mirrored, faster acceleration, slower acceleration, varied acceleration with a loss, and varied acceleration with a win, were experienced by the participant; randomized …

Academic Competence, Self-Efficacy, And Achievement Expectations Among International Students At The University Of Central Florida, Emily Hynson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the vast and continued growth of international students in the U.S., it is important to focus on this expanding group and identify factors that aid or hinder academic performance, achievement, expectations, and competence. Factors known to affect academics among international students, such as language barriers, acculturation to American society, university support and structure, social integration at the university, family support, and motivating factors to study in the U.S were examined. It was hypothesized that these known factors would negatively correlate with the academic outcomes of international students examined in the current study. It was also hypothesized that these factors …

The Effects Of Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain: An Integrative Review Of The Literature, Bridget A. Asevedo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this integrative literature review was to understand the effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain management in adults. Anecdotal reports suggest the use of medical marijuana as a pain management therapy could be an alternative to opioids and other medications which have long term consequences. Potential uses span the health care continuum, from prescribed outpatient symptom management, to acute care, extended care, home care, and hospice treatment settings. The methodology included a review and synthesis of relevant research articles from 2012 to 2018, written in the English language. The findings suggest medical cannabis has the potential of …

Do Cognitive Metaphors Moderate The Effectiveness Of Protective Behavioral Strategies?, Skyler M. Hoover

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Past research has shown a positive relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol related consequences. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are able to lower the negative effects of drinking alcohol, however, the protective effects of PBS at times is moderated by situational circumstances or individual differences. This study looks at the cognitive metaphor of being a Head or Heart person and the moderating effects it has on PBS and alcohol consumption and alcohol related consequences. Participants completed the AUDIT-C to measure drinking habits, the PBSS to asses strategy usage, the YAAQC to measure drinking problems and a self-report single item measure for …

Gender And Ethnic Differences In Sound Tolerance, Nicole Concepcion, Rachel Wallace Ms, Scott Vrana Phd, Lcp

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

What Contributes To Well-Being In Later Life? How Two Life-Span Perspectives Explain The Process, Yeojin Rho

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Goals influence the direction of life. Because of this, goals play major roles in our motivations, behaviors, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2015). Thus, it has been one of the important topics in developmental psychology to study how goals are formed and changed over the life-span. Selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) theory and socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) explain goal changes throughout life. Although these theories focus on different factors that led to goal changes and on different aspects of goals, both theories assert that people can achieve their goals, be satisfied with their life, and finally experience successful …

Developmental Trends In Sleep During Adolescents' Transition To Young Adulthood, Heejung Park

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective: Poor sleep poses negative health consequences for youth, yet few longitudinal actigraphy studies have examined basic developmental trends in sleep across adolescents’ transition to young adulthood. In this longitudinal actigraphy study, stability of individual differences and trajectories of sleep during and after high school were examined. The degree to which sleep trajectories differed by college attendance status was also studied.

Methods: A total of 343 youth with Asian, Latino, and European American backgrounds completed eight days of wrist actigraphy at two-year intervals in Wave 1(n= 295, M_age= 16.39), Wave 2 (n= …

Resting State Coupling Between The Amygdala And Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Related To Household Income In Childhood And Indexes Future Psychological Vulnerability To Stress, Jamie L. Hanson, Dustin Albert, Ann T. Skinner, Shutian H. Shen, Kenneth A. Dodge, Jennifer E. Lansford

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

While child poverty is a significant risk factor for poor mental health, the developmental pathways involved with these associations are poorly understood. To advance knowledge about these important linkages, the present study examined the developmental sequelae of childhood exposure to poverty in a multiyear longitudinal study. Here, we focused on exposure to poverty, neurobiological circuitry connected to emotion dysregulation, later exposure to stressful life events, and symptoms of psychopathology. We grounded our work in a biopsychosocial perspective, with a specific interest in “stress sensitization” and emotion dysregulation. Motivated by past work, we first tested whether exposure to poverty was related …

Teachers’ Perception Of A Cooking Intervention To Increase Social Skills In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Behavioral Disabilities, Jennifer Malik

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored teachers and school staff’s perceptions of the impact of participation in a food-based social skills intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and behavioral challenges. 1st-5th grade students who received special education and related services and were placed in self-contained programs in a suburban school district in New Jersey were eligible to participate in the intervention. The intervention consisted of a food-based social skills intervention in which students prepared food ordered by staff members. The students’ job duties included taking orders over the phone and in person, preparing requested food items, taking payments and counting change, and …

Executive Capacities For Students Diagnosed With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Learning Disability, Kate Boccella-Perras

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

All students in this study were rated by teachers with the McCloskey Executive Function Scale (MEFS) to identify executive function deficits (EFDs; not knowing when) and executive skill deficits (ESDs; not knowing how). Significantly larger proportions of students in the ADHD-diagnosed (ADHD) group than in the matched control group were rated by teachers as having either an EFD or an ESD within all seven self-regulation clusters, with more deficits identified within the Academic Arena than within the Self/Social Arena. In contrast, significantly larger proportions of students in the LD-classified (LD) group than in the matched control group were rated by …

Increasing The Efficacy Of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy For Fear-Of-Flying, Chad Macmillan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a treatment often used to treat fear-of-flying (FOF), which research shows is effective for treating this phobia. Researchers have identified that the realism of the virtual environment is an important component in the efficacy of VRET and increased realism is likely to increase the efficacy of VRET. Guided by cognitive theory, emotional processing theory, and behaviorism, the purpose of this quantitative study was to demonstrate if a new generational technique called true reality-virtual reality exposure therapy (TR-VRET) is at least as efficacious as traditional VRET for treating the fear and anxiety associated with FOF. …

Child Psychological Maltreatment, Alison Boughn

Dissertations and Theses

Child psychological maltreatment (PM) is challenging to define and difficult for a child to articulate. This study introduces the development and initial implementation of the Psychological Maltreatment Inventory (PMI) with child participants. The PMI consists of 16 items validated by subject matter experts. The pilot study sample (N = 21) and large sample (N = 166) consisted of child participants currently involved in open child maltreatment cases at a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in the Midwest. Quantitative research was used to explore the descriptive characteristics of the PMI to participant demographic information and correlational design to explore the relationship between …

Arab American Women's Health Study: Correlational And Experimental Examination Of A Sexual Health Interview, Hannah Holmes

Wayne State University Dissertations

Arab Americans are a diverse group of Americans of Arab heritage or identity. Given the underrepresentation of Arab Americans in research and a taboo surrounding sexuality in Arab culture, it is not surprising that Arab American sexual health is understudied, even though sexuality is an important aspect of health. Arab American women face the challenging task of negotiating both their heritage and American culture, which may have implications for sexual health due to the two cultures’ disparate views on sexuality. Given the conflict and taboo likely to surround the topic of sexuality among Arab American women, confidential discussion of these …

An Analysis And Critique Of Mental Health Treatment In American State Prisons And Proposal For Improved Care, Shelby Hayne

Scripps Senior Theses

Mental health treatment in state prisons is revealed to be highly variable, under-funded, and systematically inadequate. Existing literature exposes this injustice but fails to provide a comprehensive proposal for reform. This paper attempts to fill that gap, outlining a cost-effective, evidence-based treatment proposal, directly addressing the deficits in care revealed through analysis of our current system. In addition, this paper provides historical overviews of the prison system and mental health treatment, utilizing theoretical perspectives to contextualize this proposal in the present state of affairs. Lastly, the evidence is provided to emphasize the potential economic and social benefits of improving mental …

A Behavioral Confirmation And Reduction Of The Natural Versus Synthetic Drug Bias, Brian P. Meier, Amanda J. Dillard, Eric S. Osorio, Courtney M. Lappas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research reveals a biased preference for natural versus synthetic drugs; however, this research is based upon self-report and has not examined ways to reduce the bias. We examined these issues in five studies involving 1,125 participants. In a Pilot Study (N = 110), participants rated the term natural to be more positive than the term synthetic, which reveals a default natural-is-better belief. In Studies 1 (N = 109) and 2 (N = 100), after a supposed personality study, participants were offered a thank you “gift” of a natural or synthetic pain reliever. Approximately 86% (Study 1) and 93% (Study 2) …

Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Socioeconomic Status, Access To Care And Depression In Adults, Sierra Powdhar

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In the United States, estimates suggest that 45% of adults endorse having experienced at least one of the ten items of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (Sacks, 2018). Having adverse experiences in childhood is strongly related to the development of a wide range of health problems later in life, including depression (SAMHA, 2018; CDC, 2016). However, it is not fully understood what accounts for this association. One factor that may account for the relationship between ACEs and depression could be lower socioeconomic status (SES). Specifically, I am proposing an explanatory model built upon the following linkages that are supported in …

Psychological Factors Related To Resilience And Vulnerability Among Youth With Hiv In An Integrated Care Setting., Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Courtney Lynn, Carina Rodriguez

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Approximately 22% of HIV diagnoses in 2015 occurred among youth aged 13–24. Much is known about the risk factors and psychopathology present in youth living with HIV (YLWH), however, relatively little is known about resiliency in this population. The current study sought to assess factors related to resilience and vulnerability among YLWH as well as the impact of psychosocial factors on these constructs using existing clinical data from an integrated care clinic serving YLWH in the southeastern United States. Data included findings from mental health screeners administered as part of the standard protocol of care for youth aged 13–24 including …

Postures In Mobile Device Usage: Effects On Interpretation Bias, Mood, And Physical Tension, Gabriela Flores-Cruz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Past research has shown that there is a relationship between body posture and cognitive processes. However, postures used with technological devices has not been studied more extensively. The purpose of this study was to examine posture effects when using a mobile device on interpretation bias, mood, and physical tension. Each participant was randomly assigned one of three conditions: sitting slumped, sitting upright, or lying down. Participants were asked to complete the Scrambled Sentences Task (SST), a task of unscrambling emotional and neutral sentences, to measure their interpretation bias. Additional questions were asked to measure the participant's physical tension and mood. …

The Role Of Cues And Kinematics On Social Event Perception, Estefania Berrios

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The belief that intentions are hidden away in the minds of individuals has been circulating for many years. Theories of indirect perception, such as the Theory of Mind, have since been developed to help explain this phenomenon. Conversely, research in the field of human kinematics and event perception have also given rise to theories of direct perception. The purpose of the study was to determine if intentionality can be directly perceived rather than requiring inferential processes. Prior research regarding kinematics of cooperative and competitive movements have pointed toward direct perception, demonstrating participants can accurately judge a movement as cooperative or …