Educational Psychology Commons^™

Concurrent Chains Schedules As A Method To Study Choice Between Alcohol Associated Conditioned Reinforcers, Corina Jimenez-Gomez, Timothy A. Shahan

Psychology Faculty Publications

An extensive body of research using concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement has shown that choice for one of two differentially valued food-associated stimuli is dependent upon the overall temporal context in which those stimuli are embedded. The present experiments examined whether the concurrent chains procedure was useful for the study of behavior maintained by alcohol and alcohol-associated stimuli. In Experiment 1, rats responded on concurrent-chains schedules with equal variable-interval (VI) 10-s schedules in the initial links. Across conditions, fixed-interval schedules in the terminal links were varied to yield 1:1, 9:1, and 1:9 ratios of alcohol delivery. Initial-link response rates reflected changes …

Elder Adult Abuse And Animal Welfare Issues: Development, Field Testing, And Dissemination Of Assessment Protocols, Frank R. Ascione, Terry Peak

Psychology Faculty Publications

With funding from the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, A KeyBank Trust, and in collaboration with the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services, we developed a general protocol for assessing animal welfare issues in the in the lives of elder adults. We also developed a follow-up protocol that can be used in cases where elder adults have expressed concern about the welfare of their animals (including threatened and actual harm). Drafts of the protocols were reviewed by Utah Adult Protective Services personnel as well as experts in the field of gerontology. Final versions of the protocols were developed based …

Culture, Timothy B. Smith, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article summarizes the definitions, means, and research of adapting psychotherapy to clients' cultural backgrounds. We begin by reviewing the prevailing definitions of cultural adaptation and providing a clinical example. We present an original meta-analysis of 65 experimental and quasi-experimental studies involving 8,620 participants. The omnibus effect size of d = .46 indicates that treatments specifically adapted for clients of color were moderately more effective with that clientele than traditional treatments. The most effective treatments tended to be those with greater numbers of cultural adaptations. Mental health services targeted to a specific cultural group were several times more effective than …

Psi Chi Journal Now Serves All Psi Chi Members, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research has undergone an exciting transformation into the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, a peer-reviewed, indexed journal, that now accepts manuscripts from all Psi Chi members. This change provides an excellent opportunity to review the evolution of the Journal and submission criteria as well as the twists and turns that the life of a submitted manuscript takes potential authors through once manuscripts are entrusted to the Psi Chi Journal team.

Exploring The Relation Between Office Discipline Referrals And Reinforcement Rates In Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support Programs, Michelle Woidneck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The implementation of schoolwide positive behavioral support (SWPBS) programs is becoming increasingly common in schools across the nation. Although a primary assumption of SWPBS is that schoolwide administration of positive supports to students who meet behavioral expectations will result in fewer behavior problems, surprisingly few studies have investigated the effects of various positive reinforcement rates (RR) on office discipline referral rates (ODR). This study investigated the relationship between RRs and ODRs among schools (N = 44) implementing SWPBS programs with high fidelity. Results revealed no significant differences in RRs or ODRs between Title I and non-Title I schools but …

The Impact Of Study Skills Courses On Academic Self-Efficacy In College Students, Brenna M. Wernersbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Colleges across the nation are increasingly interested in improving retention of students. Many universities have begun offering workshops and courses targeted at improving study skills in academically underprepared students with the goal of helping students succeed in higher education and continue enrollment. The impact of such courses on study skills themselves has been supported, but prior research has not examined the courses impact on students' beliefs about their ability to succeed in college–that is, their levels of academic self-efficacy. This study examined pre- and post-test levels of academic self-efficacy in college students enrolled in a study skills course in comparison …

How Does Psi Chi Journal Of Undergraduate Research Measure Up?, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Understanding the complexities inherent in descriptions of research journals can take significant time and energy, and in the end leave the average psychologist and psychology student wondering—what does it all mean? Why does this matter? In this column, I attempt to provide information to illuminate how journals are described and why we care. Additionally, I will review how our own journal, Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, measures up on these criteria. In short, Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research is a scholarly journal that is peer-reviewed and indexed. Let’s explore these areas so you will feel very excited about …

Collaborative Strategic Board Games As A Site For Distributed Computational Thinking, Matthew Berland, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the idea that contemporary strategic board games represent an informal, interactional context in which complex computational thinking takes place. When games are collaborative – that is, a game requires that players work in joint pursuit of a shared goal – the computational thinking is easily observed as distributed across several participants. This raises the possibility that a focus on such board games are profitable for those who wish to understand computational thinking and learning in situ. This paper introduces a coding scheme, applies it to the recorded discourse of three groups of game players, and provides qualitative …

A Study Of Grade Level And Gender Differences In Divergent Thinking Among 8th And 11th Graders In A Mid-Western School District., Leah Christine Roue

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Model Of Resurgence Based On Behavioral Momentum Theory, Timothy A. Shahan, Mary M. Sweeney

Psychology Faculty Publications

Resurgence is the reappearance of an extinguished behavior when an alternative behavior reinforced during extinction is subsequently placed on extinction. Resurgence is of particular interest because it may be a source of relapse to problem behavior following treatments involving alternative reinforcement. In this article we develop a quantitative model of resurgence based on the augmented model of extinction provided by behavioral momentum theory. The model suggests that alternative reinforcement during extinction of a target response acts as both an additional source of disruption during extinction and as a source of reinforcement in the context that increases the future strength of …

Behavioral Momentum Theory: Equations And Applications, John A. Nevin, Timothy A. Shahan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Behavioral momentum theory provides a quantitative account of how reinforcers experienced within a discriminative stimulus context govern the persistence of behavior that occurs in that context. The theory suggests that all reinforcers obtained in the presence of a discriminative stimulus increase resistance to change, regardless of whether those reinforcers are contingent on the target behavior, are noncontingent, or are even contingent on an alternative behavior. In this paper, we describe the equations that constitute the theory and address their application to issues of particular importance in applied settings. The theory provides a framework within which to consider the effects of …

Psychometric Properties Of Postsecondary Students' Course Evaluations, Michael J. Drysdale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several experts in the area of postsecondary student evaluations of courses have concluded that they are stable or reliable measures as well as being measures that provide ways of making valid inferences regarding teacher effectiveness. Often these experts have offered these conclusions without supporting evidence. Surprisingly, a thorough review of the literature revealed very few reported test-retest reliability studies of course evaluations and the results from these studies are contradictory. In the area of validity, the conclusions offered by scholars who conducted meta-analyses of mutlisection course studies are inconsistent. This leads to the following two research questions:

1. What is …

From Active Learning To Activity: Getting Beyond Busy Work And Into Deep Learning, Wendy Holliday

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

This session will report on an ethnographic study of an English composition class. The researcher observed the class for an entire semester and conducted focus groups and interviews with students and the instructor. The session will describe key activities from the class, including reflections on motivation and learning by both instructors and students. It will conclude with a discussion of how the research findings can help librarians design instruction that engages learners more deeply.

Misconstruals Or More? The Interactions Of Orbit Diagrams And Explanations Of The Seasons, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines a “misconstrual hypothesis” regarding diagrams of the Earth’s orbit around the sun and how middle school students explain the cause of the seasons. Drawing from 24 semi-structured interviews, I present qualitative analyses of students’ explanations of why temperatures vary in summer and winter and how those are influenced by the elliptical shape of perspective drawings of the Earth’s orbit, common to many science textbooks. The results of the analysis suggest that diagram interpretation does not necessarily follow what has been often predicted in the literature and that conceptualizations can shift quite rapidly as different diagram features are …

A Delay-Discounting Primer, Gregory J. Madden, Patrick S. Johnson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Given the importance of research findings and the potential of further research to aid in the prediction and control of impulsivity, the primary focus of this chapter (and this book) is on choice and the failure of future events to affect current decisions. In this primer chapter, we consider two types of impulsive choice: (a) preferring a smaller-sooner reward while forgoing a larger-later one and (b) preferring a larger-later aversive outcome over a smaller-sooner one. The first of these is exemplified by the toy-pilfering child with whom we opened this chapter. Taking the toy is immediately rewarded, but it is …

Discounting And Pathological Gambling, Nancy M. Petry, Gregory J. Madden

Psychology Faculty Publications

Pathological gambling is a disorder characterized by excessive gambling. It often occurs in conjunction with substance use disorders, and research is beginning to examine the association between these disorders, especially with regard to impulsivity and discounting. In this chapter, we initially review the diagnosis and prevalence rates of pathological gambling, including its comorbidity with substance use disorders. We then describe relations between personality measures of impulsivity and pathological gambling. Gamblers' patterns of choices on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and measures of delay and probability discounting are covered in depth, and we discuss the degree to which these choices are …

Making Healthy Choices: Adolescent Preference Ratings Of School-Based Health Interventions, Nicholas Glover Baird

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effect of a Making Healthy Choices lesson on junior high school students' preference rankings of items used to motivate students to increase academic performance. Results indicated that the lesson resulted in increased ranking scores on healthy items. This study used an assessment procedure that may be used to identify healthy rewards that may motivate students to increase academic performance as well as practice healthy decision making to prevent obesity.

Perceived Effectiveness Of Booster Sessions Following A Stepfamily Education Course, John Mitchell Vaterlaus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study's purpose was to determine if participants reported that booster sessions following a stepfamily education course were effective. Agencies in northern Utah that provide services to low-income (including minorities) families were used to recruit a sample of 487 males and 560 females. Participants were required to be in a relationship that formed a remarriage or to have children from a previous relationship, forming a stepfamily. Booster sessions were educational meetings that occurred four to six weeks after the completion of the stepfamily education course. Intervention theory states that as protective factors are implemented through prevention education they lessen the …

Acceptability Of Behavioral Bully Interventions: Mexican Descent And White American Elementary School Students' Ratings Of Assertiveness And Seeking Adult Help Skills, Devin J. Healey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of school-based interventions for children to use to deal with being bullied. However, the research has not looked at the effectiveness of these interventions for Latino students. These students come to school with different cultural experiences and values. In theory, treatment that is evaluated as acceptable and potentially effective is more likely to be used. This study investigates and compares the treatment acceptability ratings of White American (n = 87) and Mexican descent (n = 28) students for two intervention skills that are often taught in bully intervention programs: assertiveness and seeking help …

Parenting Practices Among First Generation Spanish-Speaking Latino Families: A Spanish Version Of The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Melissa R. Donovick, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the applicability of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire to a Spanishspeaking Latino population. Results of the reliability and concurrent validity testing suggest that the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire may be a valuable tool for use with Spanish-speaking Latino families. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire in Spanish assessed parenting practices among 50 first-generation Spanish-speaking Latino families of primarily Mexican origin with a child between 4 and 9 years of age (n = 96 parents, n = 50 children). Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires in Spanish to assess parent and child behaviors. Results show that over 80% of parents included in …

The Effect Of Supplemental Instruction On Timely Graduation, Tyler J. Bowles, Adam C. Mccoy, Scott Bates

Psychology Faculty Publications

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a national program designed to aid college student learning. Many researchers have noted that analysis of the impact of the SI program on student achievement is problematic as a result of the inherent self-selection bias. We apply a sufficiently sophisticated statistical technique that controls for the self-selection problem and test the effect of student SI attendance in freshmen level courses on graduation success. Our analysis suggests that SI attendance in freshmen level courses has a statistically significant influence on graduation success. Indeed, SI attendance, everything else held constant, increases the probability of timely graduation by approximately …

An Empirical Taxonomy Of Incarcerated Male Sexual Offenders Using Finite Mixture Modeling: Adult Victims, Jamison D. Fargo

Psychology Faculty Publications

The sexual victimization of women remains an endemic social, criminal, and public health problem. Much research has sought to identify risk and protective factors related to the sexual victimization of women so that prevention and intervention strategies can be more informed and targeted. Modern criminology has recognized the heterogeneous nature of many criminal behaviors in terms of their etiology, offender-, offense-, and victim-related characteristics. Such an approach has been labeled criminal profiling or criminal investigative analysis and yields richer information about the nature of crime than reliance on aggregate statistics (Hazelwood & Burgess, 2001). Knight (1999, p. 304) stated that …

Supporting And Encouraging Behavioral Research Among Distance Education Students, Scott Bates, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Michael J. Drysdale

Psychology Faculty Publications

Colleges and universities are reaching new audiences and helping students complete degrees and programs of study through distance education departments and programs. Distance education attracts working professionals, employed students, and single parents (Johnson, et al., 2003), who may otherwise not be able to engage in a traditional academic setting. These individuals can now enroll in single courses or full undergraduate and graduate programs. Distance education departments offer courses and degrees through various modes of delivery, including: independent study, online (via course management applications such as Blackboard), interactive broadcast (via satellite), and Ed-NET courses (via internet/webcam).

To Pay Or Not To Pay?: Legal And Ethical Issues In International Students’ Participation In Research, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research methods are typically drafted carefully to ensure that the research question on hand can be answered. Sample selection is influenced by issues of feasibility. For example, in the case of researchers interested in cross-cultural research, the cost of traveling abroad and the practical matters involved in data collection in another country may make cross-cultural research impossible to conduct. Research with samples of recently immigrated persons in the ethnic, national, and/or cultural group of interest might present a viable and defensible alternative to examine crosscultural differences in the constructs of interest. Recently, however, the authors learned that there are major …

Invited Professor Column: Seek An Education While Pursuing A Degree, Scott Bates

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Methodological Challenges For Identifying And Coding Diverse Knowledge Elements In Interview Data, Victor R. Lee, Moshe Krakowski, Bruce Sherin, Megan Bang, Gregory Dam

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper, as part of a symposium on the analysis of clinical interview data and the development of a framework for analyzing students' intuitive science knowledge, identifies and discusses methodological challenges encountered when specifying the knowledge elements and resources are invoked dynamically during a clinical interview. Drawing from interviews with middle school students about the seasons and an analysis of knowledge in terms of 'nodes', two classes of problems are identified: those associated with identification of nodes and those associated with their application as codes to a transcript-based data corpus. We posit that these challenges are common ones associated with …

Coverage: Findings From A National Sample Of Introductory Psychology Syllabi, Scott Bates

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reduced Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease In Users Of Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements: The Cache County Study, Peter P. Zandi, James C. Anthony, Ara S. Khachaturian, Stephanie V. Stone, Deborah Gustafson, Joann T. Tschanz, Maria C. Norton, John C. S. Breitner

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Antioxidants may protect the aging brain against oxidative damage associated with pathological changes of Alzheimer disease (AD). Objective: To examine the relationship between antioxidant supplement use and risk of AD. Design: Cross-sectional and prospective study of dementia. Elderly (65 years or older) county residents were assessed in 1995 to 1997 for prevalent dementia and AD, and again in 1998 to 2000 for incident illness. Supplement use was ascertained at the first contact. Setting: Cache County, Utah. Participants: Among 4740 respondents (93%) with data sufficient to determine cognitive status at the initial assessment, we identified 200 prevalent cases of AD. …

How Utah Parents Of Utah School Children Judge School Effectiveness, Philip L. Rodgers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a perceived crisis concerning public education in the United States. This has led to an increase in the use of standardized tests for the purpose of measuring school effectiveness. However, the use of standardized tests for this purpose is problematic. Among these problems is the concern that standardized tests may not measure what parents believe are the most important attributes of an effective school. Unfortunately, there is little in the way of empirical evidence regarding parent beliefs in this area.

The purpose of this research was to answer the following four questions.

1. What do parents of school-aged …

The Incidence Of Mental And Behavioral Disturbances In Dementia: The Cache County Study, Martin Steinberg, Jeannie-Marie E. Sheppard, Joann T. Tschanz, Maria C. Norton, David C. Steffens, John C. S. Breitner, Constantine G.. Lyketsos

Psychology Faculty Publications

A population-based prevalence sample of 355 residents of Cache County, Utah, who were diagnosed with dementia, was rated on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Of the 355 residents, 119 had no neuropsychiatric symptoms at baseline and were, consequently, at risk for incident mental and behavioral disturbances. The NPI was readministered approximately 18 months later to 61 surviving participants. Sixty-nine percent developed at least one mental or behavioral symptom. Delusions were most common (28%), followed by apathy (21%), and aberrant motor behavior (21%). When this incidence rate of 69% was combined with a previously estimated prevalence rate of 61%, the cumulative 18-month …