Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Associations Between Adolescent Cannabis Use Trajectories And Anxiety, Jacqueline C. Duperrouzel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effects of cannabis use is critical for reducing adverse behavioral, social, and academic outcomes, particularly among adolescent users who are most at risk for cannabis related problems. Although support from both the animal and human literatures suggests the relationship between cannabis and anxiety may be associated with levels of use, much is still unknown. Thus, examining relationships between the most common mental health issue in adolescence and one of the most commonly used drugs is of great public health significance and impact. Prior longitudinal studies assessing effects of cannabis use on anxiety have not evaluated different patterns of …

The Influence Of Maternally Regulated Prenatal Sensory Experience On Postnatal Motor Coordination In Neonatal Bobwhite Quail, Starlie C. Belnap

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comparative animal studies aid in understanding how prenatal sensory experiences regulated by maternal activity facilitate or interfere with growth and phenotype development. However, there is a paucity of information on how prenatal sensory experience influence postnatal motor performance. In this series of studies, we used an avian model, the bobwhite quail, to evaluate the effects of prenatal temperature (study 1), prenatal movement (study 2), prenatal light duration (study 3), and prenatal light presentation pattern (study 4) on hatchability, growth and postnatal motor performance in 24hr quail neonates. In study 1, quail embryos were exposed to naturally occurring cool (36.9°C) or …

Motor-Language Cascades: How Fine Motor Relates To Language Outcomes Across Early Development, Sandy Gonzalez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current dissertation examined the role of motor skills on children’s language outcomes across early development. For study one a systematic review was conducted to examine differences in how gross and fine motor skills foster language development from 0-5 years of age. Results based on 22 articles indicated that while both gross and fine motor skills are related to language outcomes, too few studies have measured fine motor skills to conclusively determine differences in how gross and fine motor skills differentially relate to language outcomes.

The aim of study two was to investigate whether gross or fine motor skills were …

Assessing Cognitive Interview Mnemonics And Their Effectiveness With Non-Native English Speakers, Bryan Keith Wylie

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cognitive interview is a widely recommended forensic interviewing strategy which elicits more details than comparison interviews. However, little research has attended to which of its component mnemonics drive the overall effect. Furthermore, some mnemonics—like asking witnesses to recall in reverse order—are cognitively demanding. Responding to cognitively demanding interview mnemonics may be challenging for witnesses who are already under heavy cognitive load, such as non-native English speakers. Speaking a second language is a cognitively difficult task that may leave non-native English speakers with limited cognitive resources to devote to complex interviewing mnemonics. Other mnemonics, though, may be particularly beneficial for …

Attentional Processes In Anxiety: Examining Threat-Related Attention Bias And Attentional Control In Anxious Youth, Raquel Melendez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention bias modification treatment (ABMT) is a computer-administered intervention informed by theoretical models implicating the role of attentional processes in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety. Attention bias modification treatment presents an innovative, cost-effective approach to meeting demand for treatment of anxiety disorders; however data are limited regarding long-term outcomes and related predictors of ABMT treatment outcomes in youth. Therefore, the present study examined long-term outcomes of ABMT as a standalone or adjunctive treatment in 74 youth referred to an anxiety disorders clinic. Three groups of youth (ages 9 to 22) were identified and assessed approximately one to six years …

The Effect Of Methylphenidate On Associative Learning Among Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Amy R. Altszuler

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite strong evidence supporting the short-term efficacy of interventions for youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and despite the fact that the majority of youth with ADHD receive treatment for the disorder at some point over the course of childhood, the long-term prognosis for individuals with ADHD remains poor. One potential explanation for the gap between short-term efficacy and long-term outcomes is that the most common intervention for youth with ADHD, stimulant medication, paradoxically undermines children’s abilities to learn from contingencies through their action on the dopaminergic system. The dynamic dopamine theory posits that by increasing levels of dopamine, stimulant medication …

The Effects Of Cognitive Bias, Examiner Experience, And Stimulus Material On Forensic Evidence Analysis, Michelle M. Pena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forensic examiners have come under scrutiny in recent years because of high profile exoneration cases that have highlighted the negative impact contextual bias can have on investigations including forensic evidence analyses. This has led to several proposed solutions to reduce the effects of bias including blind testing and redacting task-irrelevant information. However, practitioners have not been receptive to such recommendations because of the limitations found in past research, such as the use of untrained undergraduate students to examine complex pieces of forensic evidence (e.g., fingerprints). The current study thus had the following aims: (a) examine the effect of contextual bias …

Examining The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Behavioral Consultation With Latinx Teachers And Students, Anne S. Morrow

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Daily behavioral report cards are an efficacious intervention for children with ADHD, yet there is little information on Latinx teachers’ perceptions about ADHD and preferences related to behavioral treatment, including the Daily Report Card (DRC). The purpose of our convergent, mixed-method study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of behavioral consultation with Latinx teachers and students, as well as potentially associated factors. Teachers completed DRCs which included a chart with individualized, operationalized target behaviors, such as remaining in seat/area. Their students’ behavioral targets were titrated via a changing criterion design, and students’ daily performance was rewarded via a menu …

Affective States And Work Attitudes Linking Abusive Supervision To Employee Performance And The Impact Of Ethical Climate On Abusive Supervision And Work Attitudes, Armando Falcon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior research indicates that abusive supervision (AS, Tepper, 2000) is associated with employee job performance. On the other hand, ethical organizational climate (EOC; Victor & Cullen, 1988) has yet to be investigated in the context of AS. The objective of the present study is to evaluate, within a general sample of US employees, (1) the relative strength of specific indirect effects of AS on performance via positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect, and via work-related attitudes (Leader-member exchange, LMX; Interactional justice, IJ; Perceived organizational support, POS; Affective organizational commitment, AOC), and (2) the relationship between EOC, AS, and the same …

How Organizational Cultures Moderate The Relationship Between Demographic Diversity And Intragroup Conflict: A Meta-Analysis, Ryan K. Jacobson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that as work groups become more demographically diverse, they are more likely to experience relationship and task conflict (Barak, 2016; Holck, Muhr, & Villeseche, 2016; Mohammed & Angell, 2004). In an increasingly diverse, global workforce, one way to mitigate this conflict might be to promote organizational cultures that support group harmony and respect, such as team-oriented culture (Galinsky et al., 2015; Lambert, 2016; Nielsen, 2017; Williams & O’Reilly, 1998). In this paper, we sought to test the moderating potential of organizational culture on the relationship between worker diversity and conflict using a meta-analysis. Using 40 samples, we examined …

Poly-Strengths Skill Building For Urban Teens At High-Risk For Violence Exposure: Leveraging Community After-School Programs To Promote Youth, Kelly D. Cromer M.S.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Violence exposure increases teens’ risk for emotion dysregulation, anxiety, depression, and aggression towards peers. Urban teens are disproportionately more likely to be exposed to violence and less likely to receive mental health services. Community after-school programs can help to reduce these disparities by offering opportunities for skills development and mental health promotion to mitigate risk associated with violence exposure.

The current study examined the implementation and promise of brief meditation and sleep health journaling activities infused within a pre-existing parks-based after-school program for black and Latinx teens. Data include pre-/post-measures of violent and non-violent adversity, emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and …

#Fomo: How The Fear Of Missing Out Drives Consumer Purchase Decisions, Michelle Van Solt

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on consumers’ experiential purchase decisions motivated by the fear of missing out (FOMO). I propose that consumers are more likely to attend an event when individuals with whom they have strong (weak) interpersonal ties will be present, because consumers will experience higher (lower) levels of FOMO. The results of one qualitative and four quantitative studies, including a behavioral study, demonstrate that purchase intent is higher when participants imagine that their close friends (i.e., strong ties) will attend, an effect mediated by FOMO and anticipated regret. Furthermore, the type of experience (i.e., ordinary, extraordinary) moderates the relationship of …

Self-Concept In Children And Adolescents As A Lever For Change In Academic Success For Under-Served Youth, Robert Ray Ogle

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents in under-resourced urban communities simultaneously experience higher rates of major life stressors, including mental health problems, and less access to the services needed to address these concerns. The combination of high need and few resources makes identifying broadly effective, resource-minimal interventions a critical goal. Amongst potential targets for intervention, academic success, particularly graduating from high school, predicts positive life outcomes across a wide range of health factors. To be effective in supporting academic success in under-served communities, an intervention must be universally applicable, inexpensive, and easy to deliver with fidelity. The current study examined the promise of …

Improving Satisfaction, Engagement And Clinical Outcomes Among Traditionally Underserved Children Through Cultural Formulation, Amanda Lucia Sanchez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Economically disadvantaged and ethnic/racial minority children are more likely to suffer from disruptive behavior problems than their middle-to-upper-income Caucasian counterparts, yet they are less likely to receive quality care and are more likely to drop out of treatment services. Disparities in the reception of and engagement with mental health services suggests that standard mental health practices may not properly consider the unique cultural context of child mental health problems in traditionally underserved families. Initial research focused on adult populations has suggested that incorporating the brief Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) as part of baseline assessment can promote improved medical communication, leading …

The Development And Validation Of The M.A.W.W.: A Measure To Assess Men's Allyhood Toward Women In The Workplace, Edward J. Sullivan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the workplace, women can experience stereotyping and marginalization as a result of their gender (Eagly & Carli, 2007; Gipson, Pfaff, Mendelsohn, Catenacci, & Burke, 2017). Having allies, or people who are supportive of or who advocate for an oppressed group can help members of marginalized communities to achieve personal and social success (Drury, 2014; Evans & Washington, 1991). The Men’s Allyhood toward Women in the Workplace (M.A.W.W.) measure seeks to evaluate men’s supportiveness of women in the workplace, enabling researchers and practitioners to understand and improve the climate for women at work. The M.A.W.W. was first developed with the …

The Impact Of Microaggressions And Minority Stress On The Psychological Well-Being Of Emerging Adult Sexual Minorities Of Color, Michelle G. Thompson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microaggressions impact psychological well-being (PWB) among sexual minorities and people of color (POC). Research to date has explored this relationship among White sexual minorities and POC independently, and not among sexual minorities of color (SMPOC). SMPOC may be at an even greater risk for low PWB due to compounded microaggressions. Emerging adults are also at risk for low PWB, but little is known about PWB among SMPOC emerging adults. The current study examined microaggressions and PWB among emerging adult SMPOC; it also examined outness and PWB among adult sexual minorities. It was hypothesized that: a) SMPOC would report greater microaggressions …

Cognitive Factors And Parasympathetic Regulation As Interacting Mechanisms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Anthony R. Ward

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in childhood, and yet, the causal mechanisms of the disorder remain unclear. Deficits in attention regulation, inhibition, and working memory are frequently proposed as core mechanisms of ADHD, but these deficits are highly heterogeneous at the individual level, which hampers advances in understanding the etiology of the disorder. Recent research has shown that parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation is linked to cognitive function and emotion regulation; atypical PNS regulation is associated with problems in these domains as well as higher risk for psychopathology overall. This dissertation examined aspects …

A Comparison Study Of The Executive Functioning Abilities And Reading Comprehension Skills Of Students In Response To Intervention, Catherine Schultheis Salum

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Response to intervention (RTI) is a data driven framework that classifies students into three tiers and provides interventions at different levels of intensity (Flanagan, Ortiz, Alfonso, & Dynada, 2006; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Stecker, 2010, Gilbert et al., 2012). The screening assessments and interventions used for RTI have become generalized (Garcia, Gonzalez-Castro, Fernandez, & Rodriguez-Perez, 2012). Many schools implementing RTI use one screening instrument and one intervention for all struggling readers (Ezpeleta, Granero, Penelo, de la Osa, & Domenech, 2015; Flanagan et al., 2006; Garcia et al., 2012; Gilbert et al., 2012).

Executive functioning (EF) is a neuropsychological ability that regulates …