Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Fear Of Failure, Mindfulness, And Procrastination, Jose M. Parlade

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Procrastination is a complex behavior with often negative consequences. Prior studies have found a positive correlation between procrastination and various negative emotional states, such as fear of failure. Conversely, specific mindfulness techniques, have been negatively associated with procrastination in prior research. The current study set out to examine the correlations of fear of failure and procrastination as well as those of mindfulness and procrastination. A sample of university students (n=310) were assessed using three scales: the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI), the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), and the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS). Results indicated a significant positive correlation …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Novel Interventions Of Prejudice Reduction, Tiffany Eldridge

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Muslims around the world are facing more discrimination and prejudice than ever given modern world politics. It has been found that American citizens with negative stereotypes about Muslims are more likely to support prolonged wars in the Middle East, decreased spending on foreign aid to the Middle East, and more likely to display aggression toward other American Muslims (Sides & Gross, 2013). Some methods of prejudice reduction have been explored and include facial feedback and imagined intergroup contact. This research combines both of these methods to evaluate the effectiveness of facial feedback and imagined intergroup contact using four randomized groups: …

Behavior Skills Training To Improve Parent Treatment Fidelity And Generalization In A Feeding Program, Melissa Stiffler

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Feeding problems are five times more likely to occur in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than in typically developing peers (Sharp, et al., 2013). Though behavior analytic protocols have demonstrated efficacy, less research has investigated methods to transfer technology to non–professional caregivers. This study utilized a behavioral skills training (BST) procedure to increase generalization of treatment methods from the clinic to the home environment for three parent-child dyads. Meal observations were conducted prior to treatment to determine baseline rates of behavior, specifics of the child’s food refusal, oral motor deficits, and nutritional needs. Baseline observations were used to develop …

Equivalence-Based Instruction To Teach Single-Subject Designs In Higher Education, Griffin Decuir Williams

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

With the increasing prevalence of online courses and instruction, advanced methods to teach technical concepts for students in higher education are of value. Equivalence-Based Instruction (EBI) is an effective, efficient, and empirically validated teaching methodology. This study developed a match-to-sample EBI protocol embedded in CANVAS to teach four common single-subject designs to graduate students. Results were compared between an equivalence group receiving a reduced-intensity EBI protocol and a group receiving a traditional video lecture to serve as the control. The ability of the participants to generalize the trained relations to novel stimuli was also evaluated. Results indicate that the EBI …

The Psychological Impacts Of Engaging In Creative Work, Jeanine Kunshek

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Although the literature investigating creativity is extensive, this research is designed to address deficits in knowledge regarding the first-hand accounts of individuals who engage in creative work and the motivations and gratifications they draw from those experiences. This study employs the use of in vivo analysis to articulate and explore the benefits and disadvantages of individuals who pursue careers in five creative industries identified by Taylor and Littleton (2012). Based on qualitative data gathered from focus groups and interviews, most frequent benefits include social connections, cognitive challenges, boosted esteem, communication, and personal and professional development. Disadvantages include time demands, lack …

Stigmatizing Attitudes Towards Men And Women Combat Veterans With Combat Related Ptsd, Heather L. Caldwell

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Veterans with PTSD experience stigma and discrimination. The extent to which women combat veterans with PTSD may experience stigma and discrimination has yet to be investigated. This is critical given the increasing number of women veterans exposed to combat and combat trauma. Level of familiarity may affect stigmatizing beliefs. Gender may also affect stigmatizing beliefs. To assess this, 126 undergraduate students (men, n = 69) were randomly assigned to view videos of a man or woman veteran describing combat experience and their PTSD symptoms. Participants completed questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms, level of familiarity with veterans, and stigmatizing attitudes toward the …

Does Attentional Slippage Conform To A Simple Gradient?, Katie Rennie

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The following graduate thesis describes research designed to examine flanker interference at varying spatial distances from a target stimulus. Traditionally, much evidence has accumulated that the distribution of visual attention conforms to a monotonically decreasing gradient in which distractors at the farthest separations produce the least interference (e.g., Erikson & St. James, 1986). Different from this traditional conceptualization, Müller, Mollenhauer, Rösler, and Kleinschmidt (2005) describe what they termed a Mexican hat distribution of visual attention showing flankers at an intermediate zone produce less interference. The current study is designed to investigate whether flanker interference declines monotonically with distance or follows …

Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Worry, And Problem-Solving: Implications For Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Melissa Patrick

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the correlations between Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), worry, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and problem-solving. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire for DSM-IV (GADQ-IV), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) were used to assess the relationship between GAD, worry, IU, and problem-solving. While the GADQ-IV, PSWQ, and the IUS assessed generalized anxiety, worry, and intolerance of uncertainty as single constructs, the PSI assessed problem-solving in terms of problem-solving confidence, approach avoidance style, and personal control. Data of 86 students in general psychology classes at Pittsburg …

Validation Of The Mmpi-2_Rf's Rc3 Cynicism Scale, Tyler C. Polshak

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In the current investigation RC3 was correlated with the 16 Personality Factor’s (16PF) Vigilance Scale (L) (Conn & Reike, 1994) in an effort to provide additional evidence of validity of the scale. To further understand the construct of cynicism, as measured by RC3, the scale was also correlated with the 16PF’s global factor scales, Independence and Anxiety. The study incorporated archival data from 74 college participants from undergraduate psychology classes. Results showed that RC3 was positively correlated with the 16PF’s Vigilance scale and had a significantly stronger correlation with the 16PF’s Independence global factor than with the Anxiety global factor. …

Biological Correlates Of Same Sex Erotic Fantasy And Date Of Birth: An Empirical Study Of 2d:4d Ratios, Rachel Lloyd

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Based on extensive psychological and embryological research, neurohormonal theory proposes that males and females develop in sexually dimorphic patterns, in large part, because of differential androgen exposure during prenatal development (Kimmel & Weiner, 1995). Likewise, the theory suggests that variations in sexual orientation are also related to differential androgen exposure in prenatal life (Robinson & Manning, 2000). This study examined the ratio of the length of the second finger (2'1 digit) relative to the fourth finger (4th digit), also referred to as 2D:4D, and its relationship to same-sex erotic fantasy. These ratios are sexually dimorphic and are a presumed correlate …

College Adjustment And The Shy Student, Jessie Abudu

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The study was conducted to examine the correlation between shyness and college adjustment. To make the determination, the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) (1981) was used to identify shyness, while the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) (Baker and Siryk, 1989) was utilized in assessing college adjustment. While the shyness scale assessed shyness as a single construct, the college adaptation scale assessed college adjustment in terms of academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal-emotional adjustment, and college attachment. The data of 90 students in a general psychology class in a Mid-Western college with a total student population of approximately 6,800 …

The Relationship Between The Mmpi-2'S Rc3 Cynicism Scale And Social Support, Blake K. Webster

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the MMPI-2's Restructured Clinical Scale 3 (RC3) measuring cynicism from the Tellegen et al. (2003) Restructured Clinical Scales project. While RC3 has shown adequate reliability coefficients, research investigating RC3 has questioned its validity and descriptive abilities. Research suggests that adequate criterion has not been established for the scale. RC3 in this study was correlated with three types of social support: Proactive Coping, Instrumental Support Seeking, and Emotional Support Seeking. Based on a review of the literature of cynicism and social support, it was hypothesized that a negative relationship would exist between the two constructs. The study …

Family Environment As A Contributor To Locus Of Control In Children And Adolescents, Christopher Michael Delap

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between family environment and locus of control among children and adolescents. The data examined consisted of 52 participants who were from a larger study that was comprised of 265 participants in a school setting. The measures used for this study were the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control (MMCPC). An independent groups t test was used to examine whether there were significant differences in scores on the relationship and growth domains on the FES between internal, external, or unknown locus of control …

Shyness And Social Discomfort As Measured By The Mmpi-2, Lori Hebel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide additional validity information for the Social Introversion Scale (Si), the Social Introversion Sub-scales (Si 1, Si 2 and Si 3), the Social Discomfort Content Scale (SOD) and the component scales (SOD 1 and SOD 2) of the MMPI-2. Previous research has focused on comparing the MMPI-2 with other self-report measures. The present study attempted to determine how well the MMPI-2 predicted behavioral observations of shyness and anxiety and self-reported discomfort in social situations. 88 participants took the MMPI-2 and then participated in a group activity. Observer and self-ratings of this activity were …

The Relationship Between Intelligence And Perceptual Motor Performance In Fourth Grade Students, Jaima Andrea Knox

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between intelligence and perceptual motor performance in fourth grade students. An intact fourth grade class consisting of ten males and ten females was administered tests reflecting their intelligence and perceptual motor performance levels.

A Study Of The Attitudes Of Psu Students Toward Capital Punishment, Charles L. Hunsaker

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes Pittsburg State University students held toward the debatable and controversial topic of capital punishment. A total of 154 Pittsburg State University students were selected from eight different classrooms on campus to take part in this study. Each student was requested to fill out a questionnaire which was distributed in each class.

Results of the study showed that the majority or 77 percent of Pittsburg State University students approved of the death penalty. The students who disapproved totaled 22 or 14 percent of the total population of 154. There were 14 …

Identification Of Perfectionistic College Students, Susan A. Morgan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify distinctive personality characteristics for perfectionistic college students. One hundred eighty-four graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in psychology and business courses were asked to participate by completing a measure of perfectionism and a personality test. The participants scores were arranged into groups based on their MPS subscale scores. Discriminant analyses revealed 3 separate clusters of variables which predicted perfectionism group membership with surprising accuracy.

A Comparative Study Of Christians To Wiccans And Pagans, L. Diane Curtis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Levels of affect were assessed in twenty-five Christian participants and twenty-four Wiccan and Pagan participants. Zucherman and Lubin's Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (1985) was utilized to measure levels of anxiety, depression, hostility, sensation seeking and positive affect. It was hypothesized that Christians would rate higher in levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility. None of these hypotheses were supported, and there was no significant difference between Christian and Pagan levels of positive affect. There was however, a significant difference between the two groups in the area of sensation seeking- Pagan scores rating higher than did Christian scores. Possible explanations for this …

A Study Of The Efficacy Of Two Educational Methods In The Reduction Of Computer Fear, Scott M. Gordon

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effcacy of two different educational methods in the reduction of computer fear. One of the methods focused on the effectiveness of a quasi-hypnotic session in the reduction of computer fear. An open-ended sentence completion questionnaire was given to 46 employees of Pittsburg State University in conjunction with an in-service training seminar on computers. The data were analyzed according to Wilcoxon Matched Pairs Signed Ranks tests and Spearman Rho correlations. Results of this study indicate that an educational presentation is not as effective as an educational presentation paired with relaxation training in …

Modification Of Affective State - Dependent Learning, Lois E. Griffin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Two experiments using male and female college students tested the hypotheses that state-dependent learning (SDL) would be demonstrated by manipulating affective states and that presentation of a discriminative stimulus (SD) would modify SDL so as to significantly increase the amount of transfer between affective states. Subjects were instructed to imagine feeling "angry" and "relaxed". Anger was defined as an increase in heart rate of 10 beats per minute above baseline and relaxation was defined as a decrease in heart rate of 10 beats per minute below baseline. Subjects learned word lists in both anger and relaxation conditions and were tested …

The Disruption Of State-Dependency By An Emotionally Important Conditioned Stimulus Paired With Food Reward And Food Seeking Responses, Darcy L. Parks

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The Purpose was to determine if a 1KHZ tone, could disrupt state dependency in a T-meme when the tone was Paired with feeding and good seeking response on training trials and later presented on testing trials while subjects were in the drug(T) state opposite of the training state. The 64, 80 day old, male hooded rats were trained to an 18/20 criterion while either in D state, produced by 45 mg/kg interparitonal injections of chlordiazepoxide hydro chloride (Librium) or, the non drug(WD) state, produced by sterile water. Beginning with the opposite of the training D state, D and WD states …

Aggression: An Organismic Variable Influencing Perception Of Horizontal-Vertical Lines, Thomas C. Dunn

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Most people when viewing horizontal-vertical lines of equal length, judge the vertical line as longer than the horizontal line. The relationship R = f(S) has been extensively studied in an attempt to explain the horizontal-vertical illusion (HVI). An adequate explanation has not been proposed, The present study approached the phenomenon of the illusion with the relationship R = f(0). The problem was to determine if aggressiveness was a significant factor in judgments of the HVI. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) was used to define and measure aggression in forty students at Missouri Southern State College, Joplin, Missouri. The hypothesis …

Rokeach's Two-Attitude Theory Of Behavior: An Evaluation And Empirical Test, Wayne A. White

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

When Social scientists first became interested in the concept of attitude it was assumed that attitudes were related to human social behavior. Most early definitions of the attitude concept reflected an assumption that attitudes are a precursor of behavior. This assumption was brought into question during the 1930's by research findings that indicated a lack of correspondence between attitudes and behavior. Numerous research strategies developed since that time have generally failed to produce strong support for the assumed relationship between attitudes and behavior.

A Survey Of Apa Members' Attitudes Concerning Dual Relationships, Gary P. Sazama

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The American Psychological Association (APA) has constructed the Ethical Standards of Psychologists to serve as a guideline for the therapeutic behavior of its members. Collective literary opinion suggests that a code of ethics be constructed from the attitudes and values of the associations members and the attitudes and values of the society in which these individuals practice.

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it attempted to determine the attitudes of APA members concerning Section 6a of the 7th Draft of the Ethical Standards of Psychologists which deals with the practice of dual relationships. Second, this study attempted to …

The Effects Of Bogus Amounts Of Perceived Success On Achieving A Desired Physiological State, Randall Brian Hicks

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Thirty incarcerated juveniles underwent thermometric bio-feedback training. The subjects were divided into three groups; (1) Inflated, in which information was doubled, (2) Actual, in which no alterations were made, and (3) Deflated, in which information was half of the true temperature rise. No significant difference was found among these groups. A self-report rating on various attitudes, primarily success feelings ; were correlated with achievement. The only factor statistically significant was an indication of locus of control. Cognitive potentialities are discussed as well as emotion.

Attitudes Of Black Socioeconomic Classes In The Greater Kansas City Area Relative To Black Psychology, Patricia D. Polk

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Four hundred and twenty-nine questionnaires developed by the investigator were distributed to Black white collar, blue collar, farm, and service workers in the Metropolitan Kansas City Area. The questionnaires, of which 383 were returned, were designed to determine whether the subjects perceived themselves as being different from the dominant society, to assess their attitudes about the need for a Black Psychology which concerns itself with the unique behavioral characteristics of Black Americans, and to see whether those assessments differed according to socioeconomic status.

The subjects who comprised the convenience sample were contacted through several agencies including the U.S. Department of …

Sex-Role Stereotyping In Ratings Of Mental Health By Undergraduates, John S. Sutton-Gamache

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study looked at the concept of positive mental health or self-actualization and the characteristics of which it is comprised. These characteristics were defined as those measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI). This study also examined the possibility of these characteristics being sex-typed.

Undergraduate subjects were administered the POI with one of three instruction-types: to apply their answers to a mentally healthy man, a mentally healthy woman, or a mentally healthy person (sex unspecified). Experimental conditions consisted of male or female subject sex vs. instruction-type and analyses were performed which compared subject responses from one condition to another.

Results …

A Parametric Analysis Of Memory Retrieval In A Drug Dependent Learning Paradigm, James Kyle Timmons

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

State-Dependent learning (SDL) is the failure of learning to transfer from one drug state to another. State dependent learning was demonstrated and disrupted in an escape learning task. Male hooded rats were trained to escape shock in a modified T-maze. The rats were trained in either the drug (ethyl alcohol) state or the non-drug (water) state. The Transfer (T) group of rats were subjected to a 1 kHz tone during training and testing. The SDL groups were not. The results indicated that disruption of state dependent learning occurred in the T groups. That is, learning transferred across drug states. This …

The Subculture Of The Aging: An Empirical Test, William C. Lane

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

During the past twenty-five years the discipline of social gerontology has emerged as a major field of interest among sociologists. A number of theories concerning the social aspects of the aging process have been proposed, but few have been empirically tested.

The central concern of the present study was to conduct an empirical test of the subculture of the aging theory developed by Arnold M. Rose. The subculture of the aging theory proposed that there is a growing awareness among many older people that they are not merely members of a social category, but are members of a social group …

Sodium Phenobarbital In Prevention Of Electroconvulsive Shock-Induced Disruption Of Taste-Illness Association, Stuart W. Reynolds

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Male Holtzman rats injected with a toxic solution of lithium chloride (US) 30 minutes after drinking saccharin flavored water (CS) learned to avoid that taste upon subsequent encounter. Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) interpolated temporarily between the pairing of a novel taste (CS) and an induced gustatory illness (US) prevents the taste from being associated with the illness (Kral, 1971). The purpose of the present experiment was to determine if sodium phenobarbital pretreatment would protect the association of taste with illness, against the normally interfering effects of ECS in the interpolated intervention paradigm. This question was investigated with a 2 (sodium phenobarbital …