Digital Commons Network^™

Weight-Related Psychological Inflexibility As A Mediator Between Weight Self-Stigma And Health-Related Outcomes, Julie M. Petersen, Carrie Durward, Michael Levin

Psychology Student Research

Weight self-stigma, the internalization of negative societal stereotypes, is a problem amongst populations with high weight. Weight self-stigma is associated with psychological inflexibility and maladaptive health-related behaviors. In this study, we explore how weight-related psychological inflexibility may influence weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes in 79 adults with high weight. Participants were primarily white (92.4%) and female (82.3%), with an average age of 39.56 and average body mass index of 33.78. The present study uses baseline, self-report data from a larger trial. Results indicate that weight self-stigma was negatively correlated with maladaptive eating behaviors, weight, and mental health. Weight-related psychological inflexibility …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis And Measurement Invariance Of The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image In A Clinical Eating Disorder Sample, Jennifer L. Barney, Tyson S. Barrett, Tera Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) may be particularly susceptible to body image related cognitive fusion(i.e., excessive entanglement with one’s body image related thoughts such that they unduly influence on behavior). The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image (CFQ-BI) is the only existing measure of this construct, yet its psychometric properties have not been examined within a clinically diagnosed ED sample. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis and explored measurement invariance, construct validity, and incremental validity of the CFQ-BI when used with adolescent (n = 75) and adult (n= 100) females admitting to residential ED treatment. A modified version of the single-factor …

A Systematic Review And Psychometric Evaluation Of Self-Report Measures For Hoarding Disorder, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer Krafft, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Background: Hoarding disorder (HD) affects approximately 2.5% of the general population, leads to significant distress and impairment, and is notoriously difficult to treat. The crux of developing effective treatments for HD is our ability to reliably and validly measure relevant constructs in HD to better understand its presentation and, subsequently, formulate appropriate interventions.

Methods: We identified measures specific to HD and evaluated their psychometric properties using rating criteria formulated by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) group.

Results: The 17 included measures were developed to assess adult and pediatric hoarding severity, functional impairment, and maladaptive …

Is Perfectionism Always Unhealthy? Examining The Moderating Effects Of Psychological Flexibility And Self-Compassion, Clarissa W. Ong, Eric B. Lee, Julie M. Petersen, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Objectives: Perfectionism is generally associated with worse mental health outcomes, though evidence suggests elements of it might be helpful. In light of these findings, we examined whether psychological skills like psychological flexibility and self-compassion moderated the relationship between perfectionism and wellbeing (i.e., quality of life, symptom impairment, and psychological distress).

Methods: Undergraduate students (N= 677) completed self-report measures.

Results: A latent profile analysis identified three perfectionism groups (low, average, high) based on four perfectionism subscales: concern over mistakes, need for approval, rumination, and striving for excellence. Generally, we found that psychological flexibility and/or self-compassion buffered the impact of average and …

An Open Trial Of Group Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (Act) With An Adjunctive Mobile App For Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Gad), Jennifer Krafft, Clarissa W. Ong, Carter H. Davis, Julie M. Petersen, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and debilitating condition. Effective treatments exist, but they are time-and resource-intensive. This study tested the initial efficacy and acceptability of a novel treatment protocol designed to increase efficiency: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) taught in groups and through an adjunctive mobile app. Participants were 21 individuals with GAD who received six weeks of 2-hour group ACT sessions as well as access to an adjunctive ACT mobile app. Significant improvements occurred in worry, anxiety, social functioning, and depression as well as relevant processes (psychological inflexibility, anxiety-related cognitive fusion). In-the-moment improvements were also observed in …

Sexual Orientation Intrusive Thoughts And Well-Being: The Mediating Role Of Psychological Inflexibility, Julie M. Petersen, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Sexual orientation intrusive thoughts are a debilitating form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study aimed to elucidate how psychological inflexibility and dysfunctional beliefs may impact the relationships of sexual orientation intrusive thoughts and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms with well-being. A total of 181 undergraduate students completed measures of sexual orientation intrusive thoughts, OC symptoms, psychological inflexibility, dysfunctional beliefs, and well-being. Results indicated positive correlations between psychological inflexibility, sexual orientation intrusive thoughts, dysfunctional beliefs, and OC symptoms, along with negative correlations between well-being and sexual orientation intrusive thoughts, OC symptoms, dysfunctional beliefs and psychological inflexibility. Psychological inflexibility acted as a …

Examining The Feasibility And Effectiveness Of Online Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Self-Help In A Quasi-Stepped Care Model: A Pilot Study, Clarissa W. Ong, Carina L. Terry, Michael Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

The global burden of mental illness and limited resources make increasing the efficiency of available mental healthcare resources especially crucial. One way this can be done is a stepped care approach to treatment. To test the viability of using internet-based self-help in a stepped care model, we examined the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an online self-help acceptance and commitment (ACT) program prior to starting in-person therapy at a university community clinic (N = 51). Online program acceptability was at least moderate. There was clinically significant change in 75.9 to 79.3% and reliable change in 31.0 to 100% of …

Does The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire Measure More Than Frequency Of Negative Thoughts?, Jennifer Krafft, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Student Research

Cognitive fusion is a psychopathological process that appears to be relevant to a wide range of disorders. This process is frequently measured with the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ). However, the construct validity of similar measures has been criticized for substantial overlap with distress. It is possible the CFQ may excessively measure the presence of unwanted thoughts, rather than fusion per se. Therefore, this study examined the discriminant validity of the CFQ relative to a measure of automatic negative thoughts (the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) in a college student sample (n = 389). While the two measures were highly correlated (ρ …

Neural Efficiency And Spatial Task Difficulty: A Road Forward To Mapping Students' Neural Engagement In Spatial Cognition, Ariel W. Snowden, Christopher M. Warren, Wade H. Goodridge, Ning Fang

Psychology Student Research

The current study examined the neural correlates of spatial rotation in eight engineering undergraduates. Mastering engineering graphics requires students to mentally visualize in 3D and mentally rotate parts when developing 2D drawings. Students’ spatial rotation skills play a significant role in learning and mastering engineering graphics. Traditionally, the assessment of students’ spatial skills involves no measurements of neural activity during student performance of spatial rotation tasks. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural activity while students performed the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R). The two main objectives were to 1) determine whether high versus low …

Rethinking Behavior - Winter 2021, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Winter 2021, Volume 4, Issue 2

Group-Affirmation And Trust In International Relations: Evidence From Ukraine, Eunbin Chung, Anna O. Pechenkina

Political Science Faculty Publications

How can states with a history of recent armed conflict trust one another? Distrust between Ukraine and Russia aggravates security fears and limits hopes for a meaningful resolution of the bloodiest armed conflict in Europe since 1994. Hostility levels have risen dramatically between the populations of Ukraine and Russia after the events of 2013–2015. Political psychology offers two competing approaches to increase trust between the publics of different countries: appealing to an overarching, common identity above the national level vs. affirming a sense of national identity. This project asks which of these approaches increases trust towards Russia among the Ukrainian …

Multilingual Literature In Writing Classes: Bringing Out Students’ Authentic Voices, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

In this paper, I argue for using the texts written by multilingual writers in second language writing courses. Grounded in the ideas of translanguaging, this instructional approach supports students in using various linguistic resources for different purposes, thus allowing them both to develop positive multilingual and multicultural identities and experience a sense of belonging in the U.S. Moreover, the discussions around the texts were based on a flipped classroom model and were facilitated through an online literature discussion forum. Students' papers and responses in an end-of-semester survey were analyzed using content analysis. The article highlights students' reactions to this instructional …

Nd2 As An Additional Genetic Marker To Improve Identification Of Diving Ducks Involved In Bird Strikes, Sarah A. M. Luttrell, Sergei Drovetski, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Damani Eubanks, Carla J. Dove

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Knowing the exact species of birds involved in damaging collisions with aircraft (bird strikes) is paramount to managing and preventing these types of human–wildlife conflicts. While a standard genetic marker, or DNA barcode (mitochondrial DNA gene cytochrome-c oxidase 1, or CO1), can reliably identify most avian species, this marker cannot distinguish among some closely related species. Diving ducks within the genus Aythya are an example of congeneric waterfowl involved in bird strikes where several species pairs cannot be reliably identified with the standard DNA barcode. Here, we describe methods for using an additional genetic marker (mitochondrial DNA gene NADH …

Book Review: The Figure Of The Animal In Modern And Contemporary Poetry, Yunxia Yan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Figure of the Animal in Modern and Contemporary Poetry by Michael Malay seeks to explore the deep connections between “poetic” thinking and the sensitive recognition of animal others. The author investigates and illustrates the nature of poetry’s relationship with animals.

The State Of Outdoor Recreation In Utah 2020, Jordan Smith, Anna B. Miller

All Current Publications

The purpose of this report is to provide a high-level review of the trends that define outdoor recreation within Utah. We do this by distilling data from a variety of sources, focusing on ‘key metrics’ that can be tracked over time, serving as a finger on the pulse on the health of outdoor recreation within Utah. Data on outdoor recreation participation and its benefits and impacts varies considerably across the state depending upon the managing agency collecting the data. This report focuses on statewide data available for outdoor recreation opportunities provided on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, …

Supporting Farmer Adoption Of Sustainable Bird Management Strategies, Catherine A. Lindell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Pest birds cause substantial and costly damage to crops. Managing birds is complex because (1) they are highly mobile, (2) they habituate quickly to many deterrents, (3) some species provide benefits to farmers by deterring and consuming pest insects, rodents, and other birds, and (4) birds are highly valued by many people. Thus, farmers have many issues to consider when developing bird management strategies. Here I discuss recent work indicating that farmer adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is more likely when practices are effective, clear guidelines for implementation are available, implementation is relatively easy, and when practices are linked, in …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, December 14, 2020, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC monthly report
• HR 385 Code Change
• Council on Teacher Education Annual Report
• Scholarship Advisory Board Annual Report
• USUSA Annual Report
• 404.3.6 Code
• Ombudsperson Report
• USU Promotion and Tenure Process Survey
• Dixie State Resolution

Sink Hollow Volume 10

Sink Hollow

This year felt like a thunderstorm. Rain pelting down on us so hard it burns. Lightning strikes so stark we have to close our eyes. Thunder rumbling so ominously we feel it deep in our bones. So many things we hold dear have been lost in this storm.

But something we have found is the human ability to feel a raw and powerful pain. We are intrinsically bound to each other, to nature, and to this world by the pain we feel. A pain so powerful and deep you feel it is sucking you under and drowning you.

The pieces …

A Closer Look At The Modern Bond Between Dogs And Humans, Mallory Colwell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

For this project, I wanted to take a closer look at a human's bond with their dog. This bond has been there for centuries, but recently has produced some distinct phenomenon. I believe that dog movies, dog birthdays, and dog social media showcase the modern human to dog relationship. Looking at these occurrences can give a better picture our bonds with our pets. It can also provide insight for ourselves as people.

Early Social-Emotional Development In Children Of Mothers With Psychological Risk, Haylie Demercy

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Healthy child development depends on the ability of parents to put in necessary involvement and attention to respond to children's emotions and communication cues (Roggman, 2016). Maternal depression (Paulson et al., 2006) and parenting stress (Coyl et al., 2002) can reduce maternal responsiveness and is a risk factor for negative child social-emotional outcomes (El-Sheikh et al., 2009). The purpose of this study is to investigate how participation in Early Head Start (EHS), an early intervention program that provides families with individualized intervention services, affects social-emotional development for children of mothers with high and low psychological risk. Extant longitudinal data from …

How Dogs Representation In Cinema Reflects How They Are Seen In The Real World, Arden Fayard

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Dogs were introduced very early into the movie industry, just as they were to every other aspect of our lives. Over the decades, the way we used and represented dogs in movies changed. This research stems from an interest in seeing if representation of dogs in movies changed in response to their roles in people's lives.

Associations Between Parental Attachment, Peer Attachment, And Moral Disengagement, Jonah Hickman

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The goal of this study was to understand whether quality of attachment relationships with parents and peers affects moral disengagement. Attachment styles, founded in our parent's responsiveness to us in early childhood (Bowlby, 1973) carry into adulthood and predict relational functioning throughout development (Simpson & Rholes, 2017). Early attachment generalizes to peer relationships in childhood and in adolescence (Dykes et al., 2008). Moral disengagement, justification of actions contrary to the character of the perpetrator, is a form of anxious and dysfunctional behavior (Bandura, 2016). It is used to preserve self-concept while violating core values (Bandura, 2016). There is evidence that …

"Botley, You Need To Listen!" Exploring Young Children's Interactions With Robots While Learning To Code, Selendra Lewis, Rebecca Peterson, Kathleen Bullock

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Recently, there's been a surge of research about child-robot interactions as robots are being used in classrooms and homes in increasing numbers. Many of these studies are conducted in a laboratory-like setting followed by a survey. This project is unique in that we primarily rely on observational data in classrooms where students are using robots to learn math and Computational Thinking skills including Spatial Reasoning, Algorithmic Thinking, Debugging, and Decomposition. While the main purpose of the larger project is to develop curriculum and assessments for these skills, the structure of the FSRS project proposal allows us to also analyze these …

Take A Chance Or Play It Safe? The Influence Of Risk Orientation On Public Opinion Toward Immigration Policy, Emilee Matheson, Lizzy Bickmore

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Despite well-documented potential gains from immigration, US immigration policy strictly limits immigration flows. This divergence between policy and research findings may be driven by negative individual attitudes toward immigration. Certain factors such as age, education level, political ideology, religion, and exposure to immigrants have all been shown to impact an individual's preference on immigration policy. Other theories, such as the labor market hypothesis or the fiscal burden hypothesis, point to the perceived economic threats of immigration as a leading cause of anti-immigration sentiment. Our paper focuses on risk orientation, a characteristic that determines an individual's trade-offs between risk and return, …

"They Need To Grow Up": Variations Among Legal Definitions Of Minors, Yocheved Ramirez

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Legally defining adulthood seems straightforward: individuals reach the age of majority at 18 and are granted key privileges based on age. But, that definition is actually pretty vague. We see evidence for that vagueness when we look at legal culpability—policies around waiving minors into adult court vary by state which means that there is no national consensus on how age affects understanding the consequences of one's actions.Some of the justifications against minor criminal culpability include undeveloped cognition (cognitive development theory) and a lack of moral maturity. This research poster seeks to investigate how the legal system differentiates minors from adults …

The Impacts Of Sars-Cov-2 On Student Mental Health And Academic Outcomes, Janice Snow

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In the spring 2020 semester, colleges and universities throughout the country made sudden shifts to online instruction due to SARS-CoV-2. Many institutions had as little as 1 weeks' notice and 64% of instructors reported having no online teaching experience (Johnson, Veletsianos, & Seaman, 2020). These educational adjustments are not the only added stressors for students and instructors. Additional stressors during the pandemic included health concerns for self and family members, childcare responsibilities increasing for individuals with families, financial instability, and finding accommodations for persons with disabilities. We conducted two separate but related surveys of undergraduate students during the end of …

What's The Difference Between Undergraduate Online Students And Face-To-Face Students?, Janice Snow

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Online education has been growing at increasing rates. Online higher education students increased from 21.4% of students taking at least one online class in 2007, to 32.5% of students in 2012 (Kentnor, 2015). To date, there is no available research regarding differential resources relating to distance and traditional students in traditional university settings, however, logic dictates that online students may not receive the same resources as traditional students (e.g., in-person computer labs, counseling services, additional student support offices). Meaningful interactions with faculty and peers, honors societies, clubs, research and service-learning opportunities, academic and logistical support are not commonly available to …

Mediating Factors Of Family Risk And Parent-Child Interaction Quality, Gable Munn

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Medium or high family risk is defined as having 2 or more risk factors as present in intake surveys in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP). Previous research has shown that high and medium risk families are more prone to negative parent-child interactions (Steele et al., 2016), but mediating variables are not clear. We hypothesize that parental stress and familial conflict are significant mediating variables between family risk and parent-child interaction quality. We also suspect that stress will have a more significant effect (Mak et al., 2020). The present study used extant data from the EHSREP (N=3001) …

On Improving The Memorability Of System-Assigned Recognition-Based Passwords, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen, Sonali T. Marne, Kanis Fatema, Matthew Wright, Shannon Scielzo

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

User-chosen passwords reflecting common strategies and patterns ease memorization but offer uncertain and often weak security, while system-assigned passwords provide higher security guarantee but suffer from poor memorability. We thus examine the technique to enhance password memorability that incorporates a scientific understanding of long-term memory. In particular, we examine the efficacy of providing users with verbal cues—real-life facts corresponding to system-assigned keywords. We also explore the usability gain of including images related to the keywords along with verbal cues. In our multi-session lab study with 52 participants, textual recognition-based scheme offering verbal cues had a significantly higher login success …

Nocebo-Hypothesis Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Nh-Cbt) For Persons With Functional Neurological Symptoms (Motor Type): Design And Implementation Of A Randomized Active-Controlled Trial, Matt Richardson, Maria Kleinstäuber, Dana Wong

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders (FNSD) are associated with high levels of disability and immense direct and indirect health costs. An innovative interdisciplinary rehabilitation approach for individuals with functional neurological symptoms of motor type–Nocebo-Hypothesis Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (NH-CBT)—combines CBT and movement retraining with video feedback embedded in a comprehensive explanatory model of the etiology of FNSD. Methods: This protocol describes the development and implementation of a phase II, parallel group, randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessors to compare the efficacy of NH-CBT with an active control condition (supportive counseling and movement retraining). Individuals meeting diagnostic criteria of an FNSD …