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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Exploring The Relationship Between Anger, Aggression, And Perpetrator Substance Use In The Commission Of Sexual Offenses, Dominique Rivera Dec 2020

Exploring The Relationship Between Anger, Aggression, And Perpetrator Substance Use In The Commission Of Sexual Offenses, Dominique Rivera

Student Theses

This study examined the potential association between perpetrator substance use, anger, and aggressive behavior in the commission of sexual crimes. The sample included 246 adult males convicted of rape (n = 54) or child molestation (n = 192). Descriptive statistics revealed that 64.6% of the individuals in this sample (n = 159) were intoxicated at the time of the offense. Results showed that perpetrators who used substances at the time of the offense were more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior toward the victim (e.g., weapon use, verbal abuse) than those who did not. Offenders with higher pervasive anger scores were …


Impacts Of Mental Health First Aid On Mental Health Literacy And Stigma, Junseon Hwang Sep 2020

Impacts Of Mental Health First Aid On Mental Health Literacy And Stigma, Junseon Hwang

Student Theses

Mental Health First Aid has been developed to train the general public to give initial support to those in mental health crisis and development. The effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid has been questioned due to its relatively short history of the course. Mental Health First Aid was recently widely-disseminated in New York City as part of the ThriveNYC initiative. While most studies were supportive of the training, there has been no study that specifically examines New York residents. We recruited 328 New York residents who self-reported whether or not they have participated in Mental Health First Aid via Amazon …


The Mnemonic Consequences Of Posting “Self” And “Other” Photos On Social Media, Chloe L. Cardinale Aug 2020

The Mnemonic Consequences Of Posting “Self” And “Other” Photos On Social Media, Chloe L. Cardinale

Student Theses

The use of the internet and social media is ubiquitous. Research has shown that 90% of young Americans are active social media users, as well as 35% of American adults over the age of 65 (Perrin, 2015). When individuals use social media, they may selectively remember the information they post while simultaneously forgetting the information they did not post, but is related to the posted information (Anderson et al., 1994). The present study is an adaption of Anderson and colleagues’ retrieval-induced forgetting paradigm (RIF), consisting of personal and non-personal information. This study will specifically focus on the relationship between posting …


Hostile Attributions To Ambiguous Situations: A Vignette Study Of The Mediating Role Of Hostile Attributions In The Relationship Between Community Violence Exposure And Youths’ Aggressive Behaviors, Hyun Kim Aug 2020

Hostile Attributions To Ambiguous Situations: A Vignette Study Of The Mediating Role Of Hostile Attributions In The Relationship Between Community Violence Exposure And Youths’ Aggressive Behaviors, Hyun Kim

Student Theses

The effect of exposure to community violence has received increasing attention in recent years, given its prevalence and negative psychological and behavioral consequences on adolescents, including aggression (Lambert et al., 2018). The existing literature links violence exposure to hostile interpretation of situations (Dodge et al., 1990; Huesmann, 1988), and hostile interpretations to aggressive responses (Bradshaw et al., 2009; Crick & Dodge, 1994; Dodge et al., 1990). However, most studies have focused on parenting practices and within home violence. Few studies have examined the possible mediating role of hostile attribution bias in the relationship between community violence exposure and youth aggression, …


The Effects Of Podcasts On Mental Health Stigma, Sarah N. Dure Aug 2020

The Effects Of Podcasts On Mental Health Stigma, Sarah N. Dure

Student Theses

Research indicates that media can have both negative and positive impacts on mental health stigma and self-stigma. No studies, to our knowledge, have examined the impact of audio media representation (podcasts) on mental health stigma. Our study therefore examines the effects that both positive and negative portrayals of mental illness in a news podcast would have on mental health stigma. We hypothesized that participants assigned to podcast conditions that primed for mental illness would lead participants to attribute an incident to mental illness. Additionally, we hypothesized that listening to a podcast that speaks negatively about individuals with mental illnesses would …


Juveniles Tried As Adults:The Impact Of Youth Demographic Factors On Juror Perceptions, Denieka Ellis Jul 2020

Juveniles Tried As Adults:The Impact Of Youth Demographic Factors On Juror Perceptions, Denieka Ellis

Student Theses

Abstract: This study explored the impact of defendant age, race and stereotypic crime on verdicts and recommended sentencing of juveniles tried as adults. Previous research shows that jurors enter trial with negative preconceptions and biases of juveniles because they are being tried within an adult venue. These negative preconceptions have led jurors to recommend harsher sentencing for juveniles rather than adults with the same defendant characteristics and criminal history. Crime type and crime severity have also been shown to impact perceptions of juvenile defendants in adult court. However, research has not yet explored the potential impact that stereotypic crime—a crime …


Examining Afro-Cultural Values In African American Women With Childhood Sexual Abuse History: Its Relationship With Therapeutic Outcomes, Bibi Aneesa Subhan Jun 2020

Examining Afro-Cultural Values In African American Women With Childhood Sexual Abuse History: Its Relationship With Therapeutic Outcomes, Bibi Aneesa Subhan

Student Theses

In the United States, African American women are not only more likely to have experiences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) but experience some of the severest forms of it. The presence of Afro-cultural values can play a significant role in the therapeutic outcomes of women who do seek out treatment after their experiences of CSA. That is, Afro-cultural values such as spirituality, communalism, utilization of the Black Church, and adherence to the Strong Black Women archetype (SBWA) can impact the efficacy of treatment for Black female survivors of CSA. The purpose of this study is to assess the separate relationships …


An Examination Of Defense Attorney Knowledge Of Dispatcher Practices In Eyewitness Calls, Elena Christofi Jun 2020

An Examination Of Defense Attorney Knowledge Of Dispatcher Practices In Eyewitness Calls, Elena Christofi

Student Theses

911 dispatchers are often the first point of contact for witnesses to crimes. Dispatchers have an important role in collecting information related to a witness’ observations and recollection of events, and this information can serve as primary evidence in criminal cases. Therefore, it is crucial that evidence collected from eyewitnesses is as accurate and detailed as possible. In the present study, we investigated defense attorneys’ perceptions on how dispatchers gather information from eyewitnesses during 911 calls, because little is known with respect to how defense attorneys review, use, and challenge 911 calls. Using an online survey, we asked defense attorneys …


Impact Of Think/No-Think Paradigm On Memory For Inadmissible Evidence, Catherine Hackett Jun 2020

Impact Of Think/No-Think Paradigm On Memory For Inadmissible Evidence, Catherine Hackett

Student Theses

Jurors are typically not able to disregard inadmissible evidence when asked to do so by judges. Yet, there is no research using the think/no-think paradigm on juror memory, which could be beneficial for trials in which inadmissible evidence is an issue. This study uses witness photos and statements to see if the material can be intentionally remembered and intentionally forgotten through a think/no-think task in which participants are cued to think about some witness photo/statement combinations and not think about other photo/statement combinations. Participants were responsible for learning pairs of faces and statements of witnesses from an alleged stabbing. After …


Examining The Impact Of Competency To Stand Trial And Judicial Instructions On Ngri Verdicts, Erin K. O'Donnell Jun 2020

Examining The Impact Of Competency To Stand Trial And Judicial Instructions On Ngri Verdicts, Erin K. O'Donnell

Student Theses

Objective: The current study tests whether jury-eligible adults follow judicial instructions to disregard information about a defendant’s pretrial competency status when deciding whether he is guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity. Hypotheses: It was anticipated, because of the effects of hindsight bias, that defendants who were previously found competent to stand trial would be less likely to be found NGRI than a defendant who previously was deemed incompetent but has been restored to competency for trial. We also predicted that judicial instructions to disregard pretrial competency status would not effectively eliminate the effect of competency status without an …


The Criminalized Victim: Can Knowledge Of Trauma And Coercion Influence Free Will Doubt And Perception Of Culpability For Sex Trafficked Individuals?, Megan Korovich Jun 2020

The Criminalized Victim: Can Knowledge Of Trauma And Coercion Influence Free Will Doubt And Perception Of Culpability For Sex Trafficked Individuals?, Megan Korovich

Student Theses

Individuals who have been sex trafficked are continuously being targeted for prostitution and other related offenses instead of being recognized for their victimization. This may occur due to a fundamental lack of understanding of the sex-trafficked experience, allowing for misperceptions to form unhindered. Individuals with these misperceptions then go on to form laws and services intended to aid victims, but instead leave them vulnerable and criminalized. This study assessed whether an educational intervention on the experience of a sex-trafficked individual could influence public perceptions of free will doubt and criminal culpability. This study used a nonequivalent groups posttest-only design to …


Dementia And Competency In United States Courtrooms: A Case Law Review, Dana Miller Jun 2020

Dementia And Competency In United States Courtrooms: A Case Law Review, Dana Miller

Student Theses

The number of older adults in the United States is rising, as is the incidence of dementia. Older adults are coming into contact with the criminal justice system at greater rates than previously encountered. As such, individuals with dementia are likely appearing in courts at an unprecedented rate. While many civil competencies commonly related to older adults are well researched, competency in the criminal legal system has not received the same level of recognition in this population. This is particularly concerning given the growing awareness of the relevance of dementia in some criminal competencies (e.g., Madison v. Alabama, 2019). Of …


Psychopathy And Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Relationship Between Psychopathic Traits And Police Work Across Temporal Factors, Hunter N. Moore Jun 2020

Psychopathy And Police Officers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Relationship Between Psychopathic Traits And Police Work Across Temporal Factors, Hunter N. Moore

Student Theses

It’s estimated that psychopathic personalities constitute about 1% of the general population but is seen at elevated rates in particularly stressful and harsh environments (Babiak & Hare, 2006; Hare, 1996). A career in law enforcement is one known to be uniquely stressful (Lucas et al., 2012), and the trauma from their career seems to be having an impact on their personality (Wills & Schuldberg, 2016). While psychopathy traits have been reported in police officers (Próchniak, 2012), these traits have yet to be assessed as a function of time. The current study explores these relationships by assessing psychopathy traits, as measured …


Remembering School Shootings: An Examination Of Intergenerational Differences, Kelly Huie Jun 2020

Remembering School Shootings: An Examination Of Intergenerational Differences, Kelly Huie

Student Theses

In recent years, school shootings have evolved from rare occurrences to a full-blown epidemic, causing generations of students to have a realistic fear of attending school. When negative or traumatic events like a school shooting occur, people often form long lasting recollections of where they were, when learning about the traumatic, public event. Hence, the aim of this study was to understand if certain school shootings are more memorable for Americans, and whether differences exist across generations, as certain school shootings that occur during the reminiscence bump period (i.e., between the ages 10 – 30) may influence which shooting is …


The Romanticization Of Violent Male Offenders: How Trauma And Internalized Sexism Can Explain Women's Fascination With Serial Killers, Ella R. Johnson Jun 2020

The Romanticization Of Violent Male Offenders: How Trauma And Internalized Sexism Can Explain Women's Fascination With Serial Killers, Ella R. Johnson

Student Theses

Past research has noted that women are interested in true crime more than men (Vicary & Fraley, 2014), and that some women romanticize violent male offenders (Isenberg, 1991). This study investigated women’s fascination with serial killers compared to other offenders and the psychological correlates of women who are fascinated with serial killers. I hypothesized women’s fascination was unique to serial killers and may be related to safe and culturally acceptable ways of coping with interpersonal trauma. Results largely support these hypotheses, indicating women were more fascinated with serial killers compared to other offenders, and with PTSD, child abuse, intimacy attitudes, …


The Influence Of Prison Sentence Length On The Societal Dehumanization Of Ex-Offenders, Skye Jensen May 2020

The Influence Of Prison Sentence Length On The Societal Dehumanization Of Ex-Offenders, Skye Jensen

Student Theses

The current study examined the factors that influence the societal dehumanization of offenders, belief in offender redeemability, and support for resource allocation and offender re- enfranchisement. Specifically, the study investigated how prison sentence length influences public opinion on these measures. Two hundred and twenty-two individuals participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions involving their responses to a vignette depicting an offender having served either five or 15 years. The results revealed that the length of the offender’s prison sentence did not impact participants’ dehumanization of offenders, belief in their redeemability, or support for reentry …


Not All Videos Are Created Equal: Camera Perspective Bias And Video-Recorded Eyewitness Identification Procedures, Kelsey N. Doherty May 2020

Not All Videos Are Created Equal: Camera Perspective Bias And Video-Recorded Eyewitness Identification Procedures, Kelsey N. Doherty

Student Theses

Video-recorded eyewitness identification procedures can preserve an accurate record of the conditions under which the eyewitness made an identification. Scholars posit that having the record will allow legal actors to make better decisions on the basis of an identification. Yet limited research has examined how jurors’ judgments are influenced by this evidence. Research on other types of video-recorded evidence has demonstrated a strong camera perspective bias, wherein jurors’ judgments are influenced by the angle with which the evidence is recorded. This study examined whether the camera perspective bias similarly influences jurors’ perceptions of video-recorded identification procedures. Participants viewed a mock …


Substance Use, Neurocognitive Deficits, And Criminal Recidivism, Emily H. Kim May 2020

Substance Use, Neurocognitive Deficits, And Criminal Recidivism, Emily H. Kim

Student Theses

Many offenders demonstrate substance use and neurocognitive impairments. Substance use directly impacts executive functioning due to poor impulse control, leading to impaired decision- making. Substance use and neurocognitive deficits also contribute to recidivism. Incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder have higher rates of recidivism, and executive dysfunction has been shown to contribute to recidivism due to low behavioral inhibition skills and deficiency with cognitive flexibility. There is a discontinuity in literature, however, since many studies only investigate either substance use or neurocognitive deficits to predict recidivism. However, it is important to examine the interaction of these factors to predict future …


The Relationship Between Traumatic Brain Injuries, Impulsivity, And Crime, Brian Ramanauskas May 2020

The Relationship Between Traumatic Brain Injuries, Impulsivity, And Crime, Brian Ramanauskas

Student Theses

The rate of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are increasing each year, impacting an estimated 1.4 million Americans. After further investigation, researchers have concluded that 8.5% of the general public sustains at least one TBI, whereas this number ranges from 25% to 87% in criminal populations. In the literature, impulsivity is frequently described as poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, or inappropriate behaviors. Additionally, poor impulse control has been shown to significantly impact the likelihood of criminal activity, increasing the rate of recidivism. The current study examined an archival dataset of 95 incarcerated individuals from a private correctional facility in a large mid-Atlantic …


The Language Abilities Of Justice-Involved Adults, Talaya Patton May 2020

The Language Abilities Of Justice-Involved Adults, Talaya Patton

Student Theses

This study explores the relationship between language abilities and involvement with the justice system across the lifespan. Previous research has demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of language impairment in juvenile justice populations, relative to the general population. These language impairments have been found across both expressive and receptive abilities, often previously undiagnosed.Further, juvenile justice involvement is a well-established predictor for later adult criminal behavior.However, no studies to date have explored the effects of language abilities and juvenile justice involvement on future outcomes, namely continued justice involvement in adulthood. The current study utilizes archival data on 95 incarcerated men to analyze …


Paraphilias: A Survey Of Experts, Cecilia Allan Apr 2020

Paraphilias: A Survey Of Experts, Cecilia Allan

Student Theses

There is limited research examining the processes utilized when making diagnoses in sexual offender civil commitment (SVP) evaluations. The purpose of this research was to examine mental health professionals’ (MHPs) opinions towards, and use of, paraphilic diagnoses in SVP evaluations. In particular, other-specified (OS) paraphilic diagnoses of hebephilia and nonconsent were examined. Results indicate a lack of understanding among MHPs regarding how to recognize and apply OS paraphilic diagnoses. Findings also provide insight into how and why MHPs choose to diagnose OS paraphilias, demonstrating a high level of reliance on documentation. Results indicate the existence of an adversarial allegiance among …


The Tipping Point In Psychopathy: Role Of Psychopathic Traits In Trauma Exposure, Sneha M. Gupta Apr 2020

The Tipping Point In Psychopathy: Role Of Psychopathic Traits In Trauma Exposure, Sneha M. Gupta

Student Theses

Though psychopathy has been associated with a socially deviant lifestyle, the idea of “successful” psychopathy has gained increased attention. Previous research has explored whether psychopathic traits play a role in trauma exposure/ PTSD, using clinical and forensic populations. Results from these studies suggest that Factor 1 traits may protect from trauma exposure (Factor 1 Theory) while Factor 2 traits may worsen the impact of trauma through exacerbated exposure to traumatic events. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between each of Factor 1 traits and Factor 2 traits with trauma exposure and PTSD. In a sample of …