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Validation Of A Serotonin Checklist In A Parkinson’S Disease Population, Kelly Diane Darby-Holder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although the distinctive pathological marker of Parkinson’s Disease is the progressive death of neurons that produce dopamine, there are also alterations in the production of quantities of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and serotonin that contribute to the disease. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can be divided into two distinct classes based on the manifestation of motor symptoms, Type A and Type B Parkinson’s Disease. Type B PD patients often manifest symptoms in which serotonin deficiency plays an important role, which often includes a history of depression. Within the brain and spinal cord serotonin has wide spread projections, acting as an important …

Breaking The Stereotypes: Exploring Traits Of Female Athletes, Carrie Magan Warda

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite the growing acceptance of women's sports and the increasing number of women and girls who are participating in sports, a number of negative stereotypes still exist concerning female athletes. Because the competitive, masculine nature of sports has been viewed as the antithesis of femininity, women who have actively participated in sports have often been stigmatized as "masculine" (Anthrop & Allison, 1983; Snyder & Kivlin, 1977). Past research has determined that female athletes do tend to possess more masculine personality traits than their non-athletic counterparts (Andre & Holland, 1995; Houseworth, Peplow, & Thirer, 1989; Marsh & Jackson, 1986; Myers & …

Trends. The Federal Bureau Of Investigation Reform Act Of 2003 (S.1440): A Polygraph Update, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses The Federal Bureau of Investigation Reform Act of 2003 (S.1440), and the continuing popularity of the polygraph with security bureaucracies.

Announcements, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

IBPP announcements pertaining to reader requests, editor nominations, and relevant conferences, as well as online and print publications.

Overcoming Political Strife: A Case Study Based On Training Jewish And Arab Educational Counselors, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

About the author. This article was submitted by Dr. Daniela Kramer, counseling psychologist and a senior lecturer at the Oranim School of Education of the Kibbutz Movement in Israel. Dr. Kramer heads the masters’ program in educational counseling as well as the clinical section of the animal-aided therapy program. She is also an experienced family therapist and group facilitator.

The author discusses the 'us' vs. 'them' phenomena, and the training of the Jewish and Arab educational counselors

Trends. Why Humanitarian Workers Should Be Killed: A Perspective From Nietzschean Slave Morality, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses different views of the murders of United Nations humanitarian workers in Iraq – first, from a modern Western perspective, and, second, from the perspective of Friedrich Nietzsche as he considered the transvaluation of what is Good on the part of the powerless.

Exploring The Relationship Among Etiological Factors Related To Eating Disorders, Diane L. Cassidy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to explore the cross-sectional relationship between personality, interpersonal problems, coping, and eating disorder symptomology. Participants were undergraduate students at a public university. Results indicated that personality was the strongest predictor of risk factors associated with eating disorders. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor, followed by conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Interpersonal and coping factors significantly predicted only four risk factors associated with eating disorders. Specifically, interpersonal problems related to being cold/distant, socially inhibited, and self-sacrificing, and the coping factors of emotional social support, acceptance, denial, and instrumental social support were all significant predictors. Implications for …

Personnel Security: The Challenge Of Personality, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the construct of personality and identifies problems of the construct for application to viable personnel security programs on land, on and under the seas, in the sky, and in space.

Announcements, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

IBPP announcements pertaining to reader requests, editor nominations, and relevant conferences, as well as online and print publications.

Trends. Intelligence, Weapons Of Mass Destruction, And Truth: A Philosophical Perspective, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Tends article discusses the issue of the possibility of Bush administration policymakers lying about the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Bullying In College And Relation To Self-Esteem And Parenting Styles, Steven Russell

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates bullying in college and the relationship of bullying and self-esteem in the victims of bullying, as well as the relationship of parenting styles to bullying behavior. The study utilized N = 85 undergraduate students from a midsize northeastern university. The participants were administered a demographic questionnaire, a bullying questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Parental Authority Questionnaire. Frequency percentages were used to report incidence and types of bullying behavior. A correlation matrix was employed to ascertain the relationships between bullying and self-esteem, as well as between parenting style and bullying behavior, and a multiple regression analysis …

Emotional Empathy And Reasons For Living In Substance-Using College Students., Daniel Scott Merwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined emotional empathy and reasons for living in substance using college students. Participants included 49 males and 120 females, ages 18 to 54 years (M = 21.95) from undergraduate psychology classes. A packet containing a substance abuse scale, a short demographic, Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), and Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) was administered. The independent variables were gender and levels of substance use. The dependent variables were reasons for living scores and emotional empathy scores.

A 2 (gender) X 3 (level of substance use) Analysis of Variance was used. For empathy, a main effect was found for …

Gender, Spatial Learning Trials, And Object Recall., Tifani R. Hite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous researchers have reported women doing better than men in object recall. The current study tested for gender differences in object recall over three memorization trials using gender neutral stimuli. Fifty men and 53 women viewed pictures of 60 objects (15 in each of four quadrants) for one minute, and then had three minutes to recall as many objects and locations as they could. This procedure was followed over three trials. Women performed better than men, and the difference increased across trials. Training was successful as participants recalled significantly more objects and locations on trial 3 than on trial 1. …

The Spiritual Self: Toward A Conceptualization Of Spiritual Identity Development, Timothy B. Smith, Justin B. Poll

Faculty Publications

Both researchers and practitioners have demonstrated considerable interest in identity development, and positive personal identities have been associated with numerous positive mental health outcomes. However, major theories of identity development have neglected the salience of spiritual identity, even though the early work of William James placed this as a central component of personality. This article reviews four major theories of identity development (cognitive, psychodynamic, systems, and narrative) and suggests spiritual identity parallels to these theories. A tentative model of spiritual identity development is presented. Implications for therapy and future research concerning spiritual identity development are discussed.

The Effects Of Instruction And Strategy Implementation On Increasing Mathematics Computation Skills For Students With Learning Problems: A Meta-Analysis, Natalie Roehm

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is well known by educators and researchers that students with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) often do not make adequate progress when using traditional instructional methods (Whinnery & Stecker, 1992). Therefore, teachers must experiment with different techniques in order to help these students succeed. Many educational models and interventions have been introduced recently in an effort to help increase the level of math performance of at-risk and SLD students. The current metaanalysis study was conducted to determine the effects of instruction and strategy implementation on increasing mathematics and computation skills for students with learning problems and Specific Learning Disabilities. …

The Effect Of Task Versus Ego Oriented Feedback On Exercise Enjoyment, Marc Fields

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Intrinsic motivation has been shown to be a very important factor in exercise adherence. Research has found that factors such as exercise intensity, social feedback, goal orientation and perceived climate can affect intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study was to assess situational goal orientation, specifically whether individuals in a task induced condition or ego induced condition would report different levels of intrinsic motivation (i.e., enjoyment, tension, effort and competence during exercise). Participants (N= 114) rode on an exercise bike for 24 minutes at a moderate intensity. A MANCOVA factorial design was used to examine differences in intrinsic motivation. The …

Effects Of Perceived Costs And Rewards On Motivation And Retention Of Rape Crisis Center Volunteers, Amanda Grissom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to obtain information that may assist Rape Crisis Center (RCC) volunteer coordinators and executive directors in the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The major hypotheses guiding this study are as follows: (a) the reasons that initially motivated volunteers to volunteer at the RCC will be the same as their reasons for why they are continuing to volunteer at the RCC and (b) volunteers at RCCs continue to volunteer because the perceived costs of volunteering do not exceed the perceived rewards of volunteering. Using a modified version of Black's (1989) questionnaire, respondents were asked to …

The Perception And Recognition Of 3-D Shape From Shadows Cast Onto Curved Surfaces, Young-Lim Lee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The informativeness of a cast shadow or silhouette boundary contour for the perception of 3-D object shape has been investigated for a long time. Some researchers have focused on the informativeness of static shadows (Attneave, 1954; Koenderink, 1984; Richards, Koenderink, & Hoffman, 1987; Norman, Phillips, & Ross, 2001; Tse, 2002) while other researchers have focused on the informativeness of moving or deforming shadows (Miles, 1931; Wallach, & O'Connell, 1953; Norman, & Todd, 1994; Norman, Dawson, & Raines, 2000; Norman, & Raines, 2002). Past research has shown that changing the angle of illumination does not affect the perception of 3-D shape …

The Effect Of Age And Advice Accuracy On Compliance With Decision Support, Susan E. Vallance

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This thesis was designed to determine whether age or the accuracy of advice provided significantly effects compliance with a computerized decision support assistant. 48 participants in two groups, aged 20-40 (younger adults) and 41-69 (older adults), performed a monitoring/vigilance task intended to be similar to screening baggage with an X-ray monitor. A decision support assistant was provided to assist participants in choosing one out of four gray circles that had the most contrast with the background screen. Compliance with the decision support assistant's advice was then assessed. Results indicated that the level of advice accuracy did have a significant effect …

Familial, Sociocultural, And Personality Risk Factors In The Development Of Eating Disorders, Carrie Hixson Profitt

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether familial, sociocultural, and personality factors predict anorexic and bulimic symptomatology. One hundred and six students from a private, Midwest, female college were administered The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES-ill), Sociocultural Attitude Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ), The Personal Style Inventory-ll (PSI-ll), The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and a demographic questionnaire. Anorexia and bulimic symptomatology was measured as high scores on the EAT-26. Simple linear regression and multiple regression analyses were performed. The linear combination of predictors (social awareness, internalization, sociotropy, autonomy, family adaptability, family cohesion) was not significantly related to anorexic/bulimic symptomatology. Implications discussed include the …

Predictors That Affect The Caregiver's Health Status And The Role Of Social Support On The Caregiver's Health Status, Hong Wang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether the caregiver's self-rated health status is affected by the caregiver's demographic characteristics (age, education level, and income), caregiver's stressor (the number of ADL and IADL), mediating variables of the caregiver's appraisal (willingness to help non-family members, level satisfaction with life, and financial burden), of and mediating variable of social support (information and/or advice from other family members or friends). Data were drawn from Chronic Illness and Caregiving, a national telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. on behalf of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, and Partnership for Solutions. The sample size of caregivers …

The Relationship Of Attitude, Social Influence, And Self-Efficacy To Diabetes Type Ii Outcomes, Autumn L. Keefer-Ward

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Attitude-Social Influence-Self Efficacy model and its relationship to Type II diabetes outcomes. One hundred-twelve adults ages 55-75 with Type II diabetes were recruited from a physician's office in West Central Indiana. Participants completed instruments that assessed (a) attitude, (b) social influence of the physician, (c) diabetes-specific self-efficacy, and (d) diabetes-specific quality oflife. A measurement of metabolic control was also obtained. Multiple regressions were performed using ( a) quality of life, and (b) metabolic control as criterion variables. Only one subscale of the self-efficacy variable scale, Managing the Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes, …

Family: Variations And Changes Across Cultures, James Georgas

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In order to study psychological phenomena cross-culturally, it is necessary to understand the different types of family in cultures throughout the world and also how family types are related to cultural features of societies. This article discusses: The definitions and the structure and functions of family; the different family types and relationships with kin; the ecocultural determinants of variations of family types, e.g, ecological features, means of subsistence, political and legal system, education and religion; changes in family in different cultures; the influence of modernization and globalization on family change throughout the world.

Training Of Observers In Risk Rituals Of The Manasa Sect Of Hinduism And Serpent Handling Sects Of Appalachia, Christopher Silver

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study proposes to examine observer attitudes. Any ritual action that has the potential for injury or death, will be coined a religious risk ritual (RR). Observers will examine examples of video from the Manasa Hindu tradition in India and the Pentecostal and Holiness Serpent Handling traditions (SHS) of the southern Appalachian Mountain region of the United States. While training had no overall effect, study participants perceived the Manasa religious ritual as being more legitimate than the SHS religious ritual. Participants accepted of existence of a religious risk ritual cross-culturally but were biased against it in the southeastern United States.

"Paper Sack Brown" : Effects Of Age, Skin Tone, And Stereotype Threat On Cognitive Performance And Self-Efficacy Among African Americans, Breonte Stephan Guy

Master's Theses

Divergent African American skin tones have led to negative stereotypes and outcomes regarding darker-skinned African Americans in many domains, including educational and occupational (Hill, 2002). This study assessed the effects of skin tone and stereotype threat (Steele and Aronson, 1995; Steele, 1997) on cognition in younger and older African Americans. A 2(Skin Tone: light, dark) X 2(Age: young, old) X 2(Stereotype Threat: Threat, Non-Threat) between subjects design was used. Seventy-four African American adults ranging in age from 18 to 86 years completed a battery of cognitive measures. Darker-skinned adults performed more poorly on three tests of intelligence, a paired-associates memory …

The Presence Of Pups After Birth : Effects On Spatial Memory And The Pre-Synaptic Protein Synaptophysin, Abbe Hoffman Macbeth

Master's Theses

A newly maternal rat goes through many changes when she gives birth, mostly due to prolonged elevation of hormones, particularly estrogen. Estrogen has been shown to increase memory capabilities by increasing synaptic activity in the CA1 hippocampus, but exactly how is still unknown. The current project uses reproductive experience to determine whether high hormone levels experienced during pregnancy and lactation affect spatial memory and synaptophysin, a pre-synaptic protein that controls vesicle exocytosis and thus may be responsible for enhanced synaptic connectivity. We found that reproduction itself does not affect memory of a spatial task, but the presence of pups has …

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Maternal Behavior : Neuronal Alterations In The Medial Preoptic Area And Suppression Of Pup Attacks, Lillian Flores Stevens

Master's Theses

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), by virtue of its relationship to various neurotransmitter systems, hormones, and to estrogen in particular, may play a role in maternal behavior. To explore this possible role, female virgin Sprague Dawley rats received continuous intracerebroventricular infusions ofBDNF sense oligonucleotide and were exposed to pups for maternal behavior testing. Behaviorally, BDNF sense had no effect on maternal behavior but did significantly suppress pup attacks during the first 24 hours of exposure. BDNF had a significant effect on neuronal morphology in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) as well, such that neurons in this region exposed to BDNF had …

Identifying Behavioral Risk Factors For Acquaintance Rape In College Females, Sherrie Maher

Dissertations

In the current study, a videotaped scenario was used to assess sexual communication skills among a sample of undergraduate women. The study was designed to identify specific communication strategies that may serve as risk or protective factors in acquaintance rape situations. Given that women with a prior sexual victimization history are at increased risk for subsequent sexual assault, the study examined whether these women exhibit particular communication skills deficits in dating situations. Using a validated videotaped vignette, 47 undergraduate women without a history of victimization (NVP) were compared to 28 women with a history of sexual assault (SVP) (assault occurring …

The Mental Health Court As An Interventionist For Criminal Recidivism Among Mentally Ill Defendants, Jacquline D. Bethany

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cross-Cultural Meta-Analyses, Dianne A. Van Hemert

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In the enormous collection of cross-cultural data that have been published during the last few decades it is difficult to perceive patterns. There is a clear need for systematizing the vast amount of cross-cultural studies and for developing models that explain cross-cultural differences in psychology. Two methods of cross-cultural meta-analysis can be distinguished. First, the instrument-based method of comparing data for one instrument across countries is suitable for instruments which have been administered in many countries. Second, a domain-based meta-analysis used a thematic domain from which culture-comparative studies are sampled instead of one specific instrument or method.