Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Rationality In Medical Treatment Decisions: Is There A Sunk-Cost Effect?, Brian H. Bornstein, Christine Emler, Gretchen B. Chapman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess residents’ propensity to display the sunk-cost effect, an irrational decision-making bias, in medical treatment decisions; and to compare residents’ and undergraduates’ susceptibility to the bias in non-medical, everyday behaviors.
Design: Cross-sectional, in-person survey.
Setting: Louisiana State University, two locations: Medical Center-Baton Rouge and Main Campus–Psychology Department.
Participants: Internal medicine and family practice residents (N = 36, Mdn age = 27) and college undergraduates (N = 40, Mdn age = 20).
Measurements and main results: Residents evaluated medical and non-medical situations that varied the amount of previous investment and whether the present decision maker was the …

Fear And Exhilaration In Response To Risk: An Extension Of A Model Of Injury Risk In A Real-World Context, Scott Cook, Lizette Peterson, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper explored a model that predicted children’s actual injury risk behavior from their current typical reported reactions of excitement versus fear in risky play situations. Fourth-grade children were asked to report on their current typical levels of fear and excitement in response to common play situations, including those involving play in the water. A week or more later, the same children were observed during their turn at free play on the diving board of a local swimming pool. Reporting that current responses to risky play situations resulted in fear was related to lower rates of actual risky behavior and …

Acculturation In Mexican American Adolescents And Its Relation To Perceived Social Support, Rossana Jimenez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of social support resources for emotional well-being and health, few studies have explored the determinants of social support. A number of factors that can influence Mexican American adolescents' tendencies when seeking help have been studied. Variables such as acculturation, culturally shared beliefs or values, social support systems, and self-esteem may help to better understand such behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of acculturation on perceived social support by adolescents. Specifically, we examine the extent to which gender, acculturation, and age influenced perceived social support of adolescents.

In general, results …

Jurors’ Perception Of Violence: A Framework For Inquiry, Brian H. Bornstein, Robert J. Nemeth

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The impact that the perceived violence of a crime has on jury decision making has received much controversy lately. Violence may affect juries by how it is presented, as in the case of graphic evidence; its evidentiary purpose, as in establishing a history of violence in domestic abuse cases; and in sentencing, when the question of the heinousness of the crime is raised. Many judicial experts argue that evidence of violence may prejudice juries’ verdicts. There is also concern within the legal community that what constitutes a heinous crime cannot be objectively determined. Psychological research has only just begun to …

Early Adolescence And Prosocial/Moral Behavior I: The Role Of Individual Processes, Richard A. Fabes, Gustavo Carlo, Kristina Kupanoff, Deborah Laible

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this introductory article, the purpose of the special issue on prosocial and moral development during early adolescence is presented. This issue is the first of two special issues and focuses on the role that individual processes play in influencing young adolescents’ prosocial and moral development. Presented also is a new meta-analysis of data on age and gender differences in prosocial behavior with particular focus on early adolescence. It was found that prosocial behavior during adolescence rarely has been studied, but that there are general increases in prosocial behavior during this time when compared with early age periods. Moreover, gender …

Child Physical Abuse, David J. Hansen, Georganna Sedlar, Jody E. Warner-Rogers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Widespread attention to the problem of child physical abuse has increased dramatically in recent decades. Extensive research evidence has described child physical abuse as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that is best assessed by procedures using multiple modalities (e.g., interview, self-report, direct observation) that address multiple content areas. Comprehensive assessment is essential for identifying risk and occurrence of abuse, guiding the focus or direction of treatment, as well as monitoring treatment efficacy and outcome, all of which may be disseminated to interested parties as appropriate (e.g., CPS, judicial system, school, other treatment providers). Increasingly specific and relevant procedures have become available …

The Ecological Validity Of Jury Simulations: Is The Jury Still Out?, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite the need to assess the ecological validity of jury simulation research before generalizing from simulations to the behavior of real jurors, surprisingly little jury research has directly addressed issues of validity. The present paper reviews the extant research on two aspects of the validity question—specifically, research that has compared different samples of mock jurors, and research that has manipulated the medium of trial presentation. In addition, jury simulation research published in the first 20 years of Law and Human Behavior is analyzed with respect to these variables. The majority of simulations used student-jurors and presented the trial in written …

Locomotion And Conditioned Place Preference Produced By Acute Intravenous Amphetamine: Role Of Dopamine Receptors And Individual Differences In Amphetamine Self-Administration, M. T. Bardo, J. M. Valone, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although previous studies have shown that dopamine (DA) antagonists block amphetamine reward, these studies have utilized animal models that involve repeated exposures to amphetamine. The present investigation examined the effect of DA antagonists on single-trial conditioned place preference (CPP) produced by acute intravenous (IV) amphetamine in rats. In the first experiment, rats were prepared with a jugular catheter and then received an acute IV injection of amphetamine (0.1–3 mg/kg) paired with one compartment of a CPP apparatus. Relative to sham controls (no IV catheter), amphetamine produced a dose-dependent increase in locomotor activity and CPP. Two further experiments demonstrated that both …

Gender Differences In Mentoring In Australia: Mentor Functions And Outcomes, Terri A. Scandura Phd, Ethlyn A. Williams

Management Faculty Articles and Papers

The issue of gender differences in mentoring remains controversial since some studies find gender differences and many do not. Perhaps the context of the mentoring relationship provides an explanation of why gender affects mentoring in some studies. Since most studies of mentoring to date have employed U.S, samples, the question of whether gender differences may emerge in studies of menta ring in non-U.S. samples needs investigation. The present study will examine the role of gender, mentoring functions and the interactive effects of gender and mentoring in relation to career expectations, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a sample of N=156 …

Secret Pain : Understanding And Treating Self-Injurious Behaviors In Women, Eva Schoen

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is an attempt to raise awareness of the presence of self-injury in Western societies. Causes, symptoms, related diagnoses, and treatment of self-injurious behaviors will be discussed. Most importantly, however, this paper is meant to challenge and, ultimately, decrease the stigma surrounding SD and increase empathy and compassion for the self-injuring person.

Due to constraints of this research paper, the author focuses on female self-injurers and excludes information on self-injury in mentally retarded individuals and prisoners.

“I Know I Know It, I Know I Saw It” : The Stability Of The Confidence–Accuracy Relationship Across Domains, Brian H. Bornstein, Douglas J. Zickafoose

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

If the relationship between confidence and accuracy extended across domains, then one could assess performance in a known domain and use it to estimate performance in another domain. The stability of the confidence- accuracy relationship across the domains of eyewitness memory and general knowledge was investigated. The major findings of Experiment 1 were that in both domains participants were overconfident, yet more confident on correct than on incorrect responses, and that the degrees of overconfidence, calibration, and resolution in the 2 domains were positively correlated. Experiment 2 replicated these findings and showed that feedback about overconfidence reduced overall confidence levels …

Dissociative Identity Disorder : Features, Etiology, And Treatment, Gretchen Elizabeth Honsell

Graduate Research Papers

Dissociative Identity Disorder appears to be diagnosed more frequently in the current clinical arena. This may be connected to increased awareness of how people respond and cope with traumatic events, both singular and prolonged or serial. This increase in diagnoses may also correspond with new associations between childhood abuse and trauma, as well as research into how trauma is coded in memory.

Dissociation can be viewed as a natural phenomena that, when overly utilized as a defense against trauma and its impact, may develop in some persons into DID. Treatment of DID tends to progress through four phases: initial, middle, …

"Epidemic" Depression In School-Age Youth, Trudy L. Erickson

Graduate Research Papers

With the traditional image of children as happy and care-free, it has been troubling to think of them suffering the effects of major depression and dysthymia. Successful intervention for.depressive youth is complicated by failure to diagnose, limited referral or consuItation, and resolute parental denial.

The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader about depression in today's student population. Depression will be defined and described as it is manifested in youth. Typical symptoms and proposed etiologies will be discussed. Finally, suggested interventions will be addressed, although research concerning interventions for depressed youth, particularly children, has been sparse.

Introduction, Dan Bernstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This volume is about motivation and gender. The chapters outline recent research and conceptual analysis related to four important motivational constructs-sexuality, emotion, competition, and aggression. In each case the author has examined the relation between the motivational construct and gender; the chapters describe those relations and analyze their origins and implications. There are two primary ideas that connect these accounts of gender and motivation: the authors generally report great diversity within gender groups in the degree to which these motivational characteristics are found, and they note that there is much to be considered in exactly how these motivational constructs are …

Education In Schizophrenia Support For Families, Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

No abstract provided.

Perceiving And Responding To The Personal/Group Discrimination Discrepancy, Mindi D. Foster, Kimberley Matheson

Psychology Faculty Publications

To explain why minority group members recognize less personal than group discrimination, research has focused on cognitive processes. While within self-categorization theory it may be argued the discrepancy is a function of a salient social self that perceptually discounts the personal self, it can also be argued that depersonalization allows for the cognitive possibility of perceiving similar amounts of personal and group discrimination. The present study suggested that, consistent with group consciousness theories, the social self may serve to both discount as well as integrate the social self, depending on the way in which the social self is defined. Using …

Acting Out Against Gender Discrimination: The Effects Of Different Social Identities, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Self-categorization theory suggests that when a social identity is salient, group- oriented behavior will ensue. Thus, women should be likely to act out against gender discrimination when their social identity as women is salient. However, self-categorization theory has typically defined a social identity along stereo- types, which may serve instead to maintain the status quo. Two studies therefore examined the effects of two different social identities on taking action against discrimination. Participants were female students (Anglo American (93%), African American (2%), Native American (2%), Hispanic (1%), Asian American (1%) and Other (1%)). Study 1 examined a structural model and Study …

Gender Differences In The Relationships Among Ses, Family History Of Alcohol Disorders And Alcohol Dependence, Geoffrey M. Curran, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Elizabeth M. Hill, Sharon A. Mudd, Frederic C. Blow, Robert A. Zucker

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Potential moderator and mediator roles of several measures of socioeconomic status (SES) were investigated for the relationship between a family history of alcoholism( FH) and alcohol dependence symptoms in adulthood. Method: These analyses were performed with a sample of 931 men and 385 women participating in studies at the Alcohol Research Center, University of Michigan. Hierarchical multiple regression equations were used to assess whether SES mediated and moderated relationships between FH and alcohol dependence symptoms. Results: In general, measures of SES (education, occupation, personal and household income) were more important predictors of alcohol dependence symptoms among men, while FH …

Bibliotherapy : The Use Of Books As An Intervention With Children And Adolescents, Jennifer R. Schmidt

Graduate Research Papers

Bibliotherapy is defined as "the use of literature and poetry in the treatment of people with emotional problems or mental illness" (Pardeck, 1994, p.421). The purpose of this paper is to explore bibliotherapy and to identify the advantages of using it with children and adolescents. Readers will gain an understanding of the stages of bibliotherapy, the goals of bibliotherapy, how to implement bibliotherapy into a counseling program, and the benefits and limitations of bibliotherapy. In addition, suggestions for working with specific client populations are given.

An Alternative Residential Education Program: An Evaluative Study, Marc A. Kincaid

All Graduate Projects

Schools today are trying to make an adaptation to accommodate all children and their disabilities. For many, the problem does not lie in a child's learning ability, but rather in their behavioral disability. According to its mission, The Ranch is committed to not only accommodating at-risk boys, but is trying to help them re-adjust and re-enter society with the skills necessary to function in every day life. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate The Ranch by examining the effectiveness of the program and its goals. Evaluation was done both Formatively and Summatively, through interviews and documentation. The researcher …

Concreteness, Context-Availability, And Image-Ability Ratings And Word Associations For Abstract, Concrete, And Emotion Words., Jeanette Altaribba, Lisa M. Bauer, Claudia Benvenuto

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Normative values on various word characteristics were obtained for abstract, concrete, and emotion words in order to facilitate research on concreteness effects and on the similarities and differences among the three word types. A sample of 78 participants rated abstract, concrete, and emotion words on concreteness, context availability,and imagery scales, Word associations were also gathered for abstract, concrete, and emotion words. The data were used to investigate similarities and differences among these three word types on word attributes, association strengths, and number of associations. These normative data can be used to further research on concreteness effects, word type effects, and …

A Comparison Of The Health Belief Model And Stages Of Change In Exercise Behavior Construct In Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients, Tracey Phillips

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the STAGES theoretical constructs in the uncovering of influencing factors associated with exercise compliance behaviors in cardiac rehabilitation subjects.

Sixty subjects who had experienced a cardiac event and who were attending a phase II outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program participated in this study. A questionnaire regarding health beliefs and exercise behavior classification was administered. Questions pertained to general health motivations, effectiveness of the intervention, perception of disease severity, perception of susceptibility and the stage of exercise behavior.

An analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc comparison statistical …

Editorial: Mental Health Needs Assessments Performed By Four Urban American Indian Organizations, D.K. Novins

Native Health Database Full Text

In 1991, the Indian Health Service funded a nationwide initiative with the goal of determining the need for culturally appropriate mental health services among American Indian people residing in urban areas. In the author's opinion, the assessment method used in this initiative is a valuable, fresh approach that is a significant change from flawed attempts to make these assessments in the past.

The Relationship Between Alcohol Use And Anger Experience And Expression, Jennifer L. Saunders

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study explored the relationship between alcohol use and the experience and expression of anger. Thirty male subjects between the ages of 20 and 35 were involved in the study. Fifteen enrolled in a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) class and fifteen enrolled in one of two introductory level behavioral science classes, without a history of DUI, were selected to participate in the research. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant relationship between alcohol use and state anger (how angry a person is at any given moment) or alcohol use and expression of anger. There was, …

Generative Concern, Political Commitment, And Charitable Actions, Bill E. Peterson, Lauren Duncan

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The implications of psychosocial generativity (Erikson, 1950) for understanding contemporary politics were explored. Study 1 replicated, in two samples, previous findings that generativity concerns are related to a variety of political activities, including the expenditure of time and money in support of political organizations. Using path analyses, Study 2 extended these findings and demonstrated how midlife generativity concerns interacted with political orientation and interest in politics to produce stronger relationships with giving. These findings suggest that people view the political arena as one important way to improve society and thereby manifest cultural generativity. Although focusing on the domain of politics, …

A Factual Review Of How Nursing Homes Are Accommodating The Elderly With Mental Illness, Martha L. Straughter

Theses

Thanks to improved drugs, diet and medical treatment, America's population is living longer than ever. While this is certainly a good occurrence, there are problems arising from it. Experts are seeing that many of these elderly people have a variety of mental illnesses. These illnesses have either been with the individual since youth, are the result of a deteriorating mind. State hospitals and other mental health facilities are unable to provide continuous, long-term care for the large number of elderly affected with these unfortunate illnesses.

This thesis will address this complex, ever-growing, issue in three parts by identifying and defining …

Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel (Sciuridae: Spermophilus Tridecemlineatus) Antipredator Vigilance: Monitoring The Sky For Aerial Predators, Cody L. Arenz, Daniel Leger

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite the success of antipredator vigilance research, the specific focus of this vigilance has been difficult to determine. We have previously shown that thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) increase their vigilance when their lateral field of view is obstructed. In this paper, we describe an experiment in which we attempt to determine the predator class for which this vigilance is directed. Using six differentially occluded Plexiglas foraging boxes with hinged “eaves,” we were able to obstruct the squirrels’ view of the sky while not obstructing their view of terrestrial threats. In general, across the box types, when their …

An Investigation Of The Cognitive And Perceptual Dynamics Of A Color–Digit Synesthete, Eric C. Odgaard, John H. Flowers, H. Lynn Bradman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

L, a 47-year-old female of Choctaw descent, was first identified as a potential synesthete on the basis of self-report data regarding digit–color associations. Upon completion of the identification procedures typified in the literature, it was concluded that L met the classic memory-performance criteria used to identify synesthetic ability. A series of Stroop-type tasks were then performed to identify the dynamics of her synesthetic experiences. The results of these analyses provided three findings of note. First, the clear pattern of response-time differences between L and the control group suggests that tasks designed to produce involuntary divisions of attention can be an …

Emotional Intelligence And Legal Education, Marjorie A. Silver

Scholarly Works

The traditional knowledge-based law school curriculum is slowly giving way to one that increasingly exposes students to various lawyering skills. Nonetheless, legal educators are generally averse — or at best ill equipped — to support that training with the empathic and psychological skills good lawyering demands. The author discusses how emotional intelligence is essential to good lawyering and argues that it can and should be cultivated in law school. The article draws upon three examples of popular culture to explore both the absence and possibilities of interpersonal intelligence in the practice of law. The author also describes her own law …

Managed Care And Mental Health: Clinical Perspectives And Legal Realities, Jesse Goldner

All Faculty Scholarship

Managed care is beginning to dominate the delivery of mental health services. The Article reviews limitations on managed care's ability to deal adequately with mental illness. It discusses empirical and other research examining the use of primary care providers as gatekeepers and it explores utilization review mechanisms, focusing particularly on providers' responses to UR. The impact on quality, access and continuity of care on discrete populations is analyzed. The article then surveys a variety of legal issues in the regulation of managed care, particularly as they apply to the provision of mental health services. These include ERISA, parity and liability …