Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mental Telepathy And Social Fields: A Within Session Decline Effect, Timothy K. Bunfill

Masters Theses

The current study involves the exploration of several variables relating to the facilitation of mental telepathy from a social field perspective. Groups of participants ranging from 8 to 35 attempted to telepathically send information regarding one of four target locations to a receiver who was selected at random from the group. During each of ten sessions, an average of nine receivers completed 16 trials apiece over a period of two hours. It was hypothesized that since all participants had a previous experience with a telepathy task, they would score above chance initially and that as sessions progressed fatigue or boredom …

Reading Instruction Software Vs. Peer Tutoring For Improving Oral Reading Fluency, Morgan Carlyle

Masters Theses

Research suggests that computer-based instruction program is as effective as peer tutoring in increasing students' oral reading fluency rates. However, few experimental studies have compared these two reading interventions. The present study compared the effect of a computer-based reading instruction program, Reader Rabbit I Can Read with Phonics, with peer tutoring. Second grade students were randomly assigned to computer tutoring, peer tutoring, or control groups; and they read the same reading material for twenty minutes, two times a week for six weeks. Participants in the computer group used a segment of the reading software instruction program, Reader Rabbit I can …

Barriers And Facilitators To Health Seeking Behavior Of Individuals With Social Phobia, Kendra M. Holder Kennedy

Masters Theses

This study explored both the facilitators and barriers to treatment of individuals who have difficulties with anxiety in social situations. These barriers and facilitators to treatment were examined with respect to the participants' level of anxiety and their stage of change. Eleven participants, ten females and one male, completed the study. A screening procedure established that each participant was likely experiencing social phobia. These participants were then interviewed using a semi-structured interview. One of the main goals of the study was to develop an interview and coding procedures that provided reliable data. This goal was accomplished; the procedures used in …

Effects Of Response Card Use On Student Participation And Academic Achievement In An Elementary Classroom, Christina J. Diel

Masters Theses

This study compared the effectiveness of hand raising with the use of response cards in a sixth-grade general education classroom during whole-group social studies instruction. Dependent variables included the frequency of active student responding during instruction and student performance on both weekly quizzes and maintenance tests. Participants included 14 sixth-grade general education students (6 boys and 8 girls), ranging in ages from 11 to 12. An ABAB design was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the experimental condition. Participants were exposed to the hand raising condition during weeks 1 and 3 and the response card condition during weeks 2 and …

Predicting State Standardized Achievement Test Scores Using Curriculum Based Measurement In Third Grade, Lindsey Mitts

Masters Theses

With No Child Left Behind placing strong penalties on schools not making adequate yearly progress, many schools are searching for ways to predict student performance on state standardized achievement tests. The current study provides evidence as to the predictive nature of oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension data taken from a basal reading series, as well as student reading levels from an informal reading inventory, on Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) performance. Multiple regression analyses showed these measures to account for slightly more than one-half of the overall predicted variance in ISAT Reading performance. Furthermore, t-tests showed that a significant …

An Investigation Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) And The Illinois Snapshot Of Early Literacy (Isel), Cara Williams

Masters Theses

This longitudinal study was conducted to compare and investigate the predictive power of DIBELS and ISEL measures. Data were collected to determine if ISEL and DIBELS measures similarly identify students as being at-risk. The predictive value of DIBELS and ISEL scores were evaluated in relation to third grade Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores and Illinois Standards of Achievement Test (ISAT) scores. Participants included 63 students from one grade level at a Chicago suburban school. Test scores from kindergarten through third grade were obtained for these students. Results indicate that the risk identification of students was significantly different between ISEL …

The Relationship Between Number Of Sports Played And Risky Sexual Behavior In High School Girls, Jennifer Martin

Masters Theses

Little is known about how the extent of athletic participation relates to sexual conduct for adolescent girls. The present study investigated how the number of sports played by female athletes in high school predicted their reports of risky sexual behavior. Participants included 2,304 female high school students from 9th grade through 12th grade from a Midwestern state. The students attended 27 high schools in seven counties and were recruited from a health prevention program called I Sing the Body Electric. As part of this program, students completed a confidential questionnaire that evaluated a number of health related issues. Two questions …

Factors That Hinder And Facilitate Help-Seeking Behaviors In Individuals With Social Anxiety, Hyland L. Smith

Masters Theses

This project focused on the development of a semi-structured interview for use in the exploration of factors that hinder or facilitate help-seeking behaviors of individuals with social anxiety. By participating in a qualitative semi-structured interview 10 participants identified factors that facilitated seeking professional help and barriers that prevented seeking professional help. Participants were grouped into two groups based on five stages of behavioral change proposed by Prochaska et al. (1983; 1991; 1992; 1999). The two groups were compared on the number of self-reported facilitator and barrier statements they made as well as their self-reported number of severity statements made. Participants …

Age-Related Decrease Of The Chorda Tympani Nerve Terminal Field In The Nucleus Of The Solitary Tract Is Prevented By Dietary Sodium Restriction During Development, Suzanne I. Sollars, B. R. Walker, A. K. Thaw, D. L. Hill

Psychology Faculty Publications

Institution of a low-NaCl diet beginning at embryonic day 3 and continued throughout pre- and postnatal development has widespread effects on the neuroanatomical organization of the first gustatory relay in the nucleus of the solitary tract. To determine when these effects are expressed postnatally, the terminal field of the chorda tympani nerve was compared between sodium-restricted and sodium-replete rats at postnatal days 15–17, postnatal days 25–27, postnatal days 35–37, and adults. Total terminal fields were significantly larger in postnatal days 35–37 and adult sodium-restricted rats compared with aged-matched controls. The group-related differences appear related more to a remodeling of the …

Coping Strategy Use And Resilience Among Children Reporting Victimization, Julie K. Gepner

Masters Theses

Prior studies have established the negative implications of peer victimization; additional literature has focused on how children cope with the negative effects of peer bullying. However, no current research has examined the specific coping strategies, which may result in resiliency to the negative effects of peer victimization. The present study examined victimization, coping strategies, and resilience in a sample of 143 third through sixth grade students. The results indicated that the coping strategy of seeking social support was associated with resiliency among victims of aggression. In contrast, coping using externalizing behavior was associated with significantly lower levels of resiliency. The …

Recent Advances In The Study Of Development, Social And Personal Experience, And Psychopathology, William M. Bukowski, Ryan E. Adams, Jonathan Bruce Santo

Psychology Faculty Publications

The field of developmental psychopathology has been challenged by various issues in understanding the link between social experiences and psychopathology. These challenges involve conceptual, methodological and statistical concerns that are often interrelated. This article examines four advances in resolving these concerns. First, co-rumination and deviancy training are discussed as specific interpersonal processes that are examples of important social experiences for predicting psychopathology. Second, dynamic properties of dyadic interaction are discussed as one of the recent advances in methodology for this area. Third, the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model is outlined as one of the recent statistical advances in the study of individuals …

Parental Involvement In Education: A Comparison Of English And Spanish Speaking Parents, Lisa Kelly-Vance, Collette Nero, Juan F. Casas, Carey S. Ryan, Bridget O. Ryalls, Sarah A. Kurien, Angela Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publications

We examined the educational involvement of English speaking and Spanish speaking parents of students in a Dual Language Program. Parents responded to open-ended questions about how they were involved, what they would like to be involved in but were not, and what barriers prevented them from being more involved. Monitoring/assisting with homework was the most frequently mentioned involvement activity fir both groups, followed by reading with their children, school involvement and communication, and providing social and emotional support to their children. The top areas in which parents wanted to do more were school involvement and communication, social and emotional support, …

Dangerousness And Expertise Redux, Christopher Slobogin

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Civil commitment, confinement under sexual predator laws, and many capital and noncapital sentences depend upon proof of a propensity toward violence. This Article discusses the current state of prediction science, in particular the advantages and disadvantages of clinical and actuarial prediction, and then analyzes how the rules of evidence should be interpreted in deciding whether opinions about propensity should be admissible. It concludes that dangerousness predictions that are not based on empirically derived probability estimates should be excluded from the courtroom unless the defense decides otherwise. This conclusion is not bottomed on the usual concern courts and commentators raise about …

Predicting Alcohol And Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes Among Hispanic And African American Substance Abusers, Dawna-Cricket-Martita Meehan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol and drug use and abuse are significant concerns in the United States, yet few studies have investigated how cultural factors, such as acculturative type and acculturative stress, impact substance abuse treatment outcomes. In this study, African American (n = 171) and Hispanic (n = 101) substance abusers' acculturative type and acculturative stress levels were compared to substance abuse treatment outcome. Although the results indicated that acculturative type did not predict substance abuse treatment outcome, a positive correlation between acculturative stress and alcohol and substance abuse problems emerged among the combined and Hispanic samples. In the combined and Hispanic groups, …

Orienting Of Visual-Spatial Attention With Augmented Reality: Effects Of Spatial And Non-Spatial Multi-Modal Cues, Christian Jerome

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in simulation technology have brought about many improvements to the way we train tasks, as well as how we perform tasks in the operational field. Augmented reality (AR) is an example of how to enhance the user's experience in the real world with computer generated information and graphics. Visual search tasks are known to be capacity demanding and therefore may be improved by training in an AR environment. During the experimental task, participants searched for enemies (while cued from visual, auditory, tactile, combinations of two, or all three modality cues) and tried to shoot them while avoiding shooting the …

Examining Employee Use Of Family-Friendly Benefits With The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Heather Seiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that may be related to employees' decisions to use the family-friendly benefits (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, flexible work schedule) that are offered to them by their employers. Research has shown that both employees and organizations benefit when employees use family-friendly benefits. However, research has also shown that many employees do not take advantage of such benefits. Studies examining this issue are limited, and much of the research that has been conducted is anecdotal and atheoretical. The present study overcame this problem by empirically examining the use of family-friendly benefits within …

European American Therapist Self-Disclosure In Cross-Cultural Counseling, Alan W. Burkard, Sarah Knox, Michael Groen, Maria Perez, Shirley Hess

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Eleven European American psychotherapists' use of self-disclosure in cross-cultural counseling was studied using consensual qualitative research. As reasons for self-disclosing, therapists reported the intent to enhance the counseling relationship, acknowledge the role of racism/oppression in clients' lives, and acknowledge their own racist/oppressive attitudes. Results indicated that therapists typically shared their reactions to clients' experiences of racism or oppression and that these self-disclosures typically had positive effects in therapy, often improving the counseling relationship by helping clients feel understood and enabling clients to advance to other important issues.

Vergleich Zweier Schulbasierter Programme Zur Prävention Depressiver Symptome Bei Jugendlichen (Comparison Of Two School Based Depression Prevention Programs For Adolescents)., Patrick Pössel, Andrea B. Horn, Martin Hautzinger

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Depressive Störungen im Jugendalter sind ein weitverbreitetes Problem mit weitreichenden psychosozialen Folgen. Um beidem vorzubeugen wurde ein kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutisches und ein auf dem Paradigma des Expressiven Schreibens beruhendes universales schulbasiertes Präventionsprogramm entwickelt. Fragestellung: Haben die beiden Präventionsprogramme positive Wirkung auf depressive Symptomatik und Lebenszufriedenheit Jugendlicher? Methode: Es wurde eine randomisierte Kontrollgruppenstudie mit 3-Monats Follow-up an 579 Realschülern und -schülerinnen der 8. Klasse durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Das kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutische Programm wirkt in Abhängigkeit der Ausgangssymptomatik kurz- bzw. mittelfristig auf die depressive Symptomatik, während das Schreibprogramm unabhängig von der Ausgangssymptomatik kurz- und mittelfristig positiv auf die Lebenszufriedenheit wirkt. Schlussfolgerungen: Trotz Einschränkungen in Bezug …

Peer Facilitated Eating Disorder Prevention: A Randomized Effectiveness Trial Of Cognitive Dissonance And Media Advocacy, Carolyn Becker, Lisa M. Smith, Anna C. Ciao

Psychology Faculty Research

This study investigated the effectiveness of two interventions in reducing eating disorder risk factors under naturalistic conditions in sororities. Based on previous research, the campus sororities chose to implement a semi-mandatory, two-session eating disorder prevention program to all new sorority members (N=90) during sorority orientation. To facilitate evaluation, sororities agreed to random assignment of new members to either a cognitive dissonance or media advocacy intervention. Undergraduate peer facilitators ran the groups. Although both interventions had an effect, cognitive dissonance generally was superior at eight-month followup. Results further support the utility of cognitive dissonance in reducing eating disorder risk factors, and …

Am I Blue? Depressed Mood And The Consequences Of Self Focus For The Interpretation And Recall Of Ambiguous Words, Paula T. Hertel, L. El-Messidi

Psychology Faculty Research

In two experiments, dysphoric and nondysphoric students first concentrated on either self-focused or other-focused phrases and then performed an ostensibly unrelated task involving the interpretation of homographs with both personal and impersonal meanings. In Experiment 1, they constructed sentences for the homographs; dysphoric students' sentences were more emotionally negative (although not more personal) in the self-focused condition than in the other-focused condition. In Experiment 2, they freely associated to the homographs, and the percentage of personal meanings reflected by the associations revealed an effect of self versus other focus that depended on mood group. Following free associations, they attempted to …

Finishing Therapy Well (Book Review), Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Reviews the book, "Good Goodbyes: Knowing How to End in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis" by Jack Novick and Kerry Kelly Novick (see record 2006-05376-000). Deciding when to end clinical therapy and how to end it well can be a mystifying process. In "Good Goodbyes: Knowing How to End in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis", Jack Novick and Kerry Kelly Novick share insights from their vast combined experience to diminish the mystery of therapeutic closure. The book, which is firmly based in psychoanalytic theory, uses a question format to explore the many hows, whys, whats, and whens of termination. The authors outline treatment stages …

Dancing Around The Fire (Book Review), Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Reviews the book, "What Therapists Don't Talk About and Why: Understanding Taboos That Hurt Us and Our Clients" by Kenneth Pope, Janet Sonne, and Beverly Greene (see record 2006-03273-000). What truly hauntstherapists in private practice are not the basic countertransference issues discussed in most graduate training programs but the unspoken secrets of their inner world. Too often, therapists are preoccupied by sexual responses to clients, hostile thoughts, and desire for professional approval, but training and peer discussions rarely focus on these forbidden topics. "What TherapistsDon't Talk About and Why: Understanding Taboos That Hurt Us and Our Clients" is an updated …

Can We Teach Emotional Intelligence?, Kelly B.T. Chang

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Although there are hundreds of programs in thousands of schools that claim to enhance some aspect of emotional intelligence (EI), research has yet to show that it can in fact be enhanced. This study used proven behavioral self-modification techniques in semester-long Psychology of Adjustment courses to help undergraduate college students improve their EI. Students used the techniques in their own self-change projects, choosing EI topics such as assertiveness, empathy, self-regard, and emotion management. The course also included instruction on EI, as well as on theory and strategies from rational emotive therapy. Students in the treatment group (n=79) and control group …

Sources Of Stress, Levels Of Stress, And Coping Strategies Of Faculty And Staff At Northern Caribbean University, Gloria Davis-Roberts

Dissertations

Statement of the problem. Northern Caribbean University, formerly West Indies College, attained university status in June 1999. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and sources of stress and coping strategies of faculty and staff at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and to determine if these (levels, sources, and coping strategies) are related to selected demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, years of employment, and employment status---faculty or staff).

Method. A descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study in which the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) was administered to the facultyand staff of NCU. …

A Campus-Wide Model For Supporting Untenured Faculty Including Women And Minorities: Strategies, Recommendations And Caveats, Ellen N. Junn, M. Atwell

Office of the Provost Scholarship

This paper presents a comprehensive campus-wide strategic model for more effectively supporting tenure-track faculty with a special concern for assisting women and minority faculty. A description of the process and the outcomes includes establishment of a clear, high-level administrative initiative; formation of a campus-wide committee of highly respected faculty and administrators; compilation and discussion of current research and writings on the issue of recruiting and retaining women and minority faculty; collection of campus and national comparison data; creation, administration, and analysis of a survey of untenured faculty; compilation and dissemination of the committee’s final report and specific recommendations; and prioritized …

Impact Of A Stage-Matched Weight Loss Intervention On Stage Of Change Progression In Predominantly African-American Female Primary Care Patients, Jamie Sue Bodenlos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity is associated with several chronic medical conditions. Certain individuals are at higher risk for obesity including low-income African American females. Despite the many benefits to weight loss, many individuals do not seek treatment. Individuals are likely to attend primary care appointments where obesity can be targeted. Although stage matched interventions based on the Transtheoretical Model (TM) have been used successfully to aid in health behavior change, few studies have examined the use of stage matched weight loss interventions in African American females. There is also a paucity of research examining the effects of stage matched weight loss interventions on …

Predictors Of Paternal Involvement In Childcare In Dual-Earner Families With Young Children, Julie N. Jacobs, Michelle L. Kelley

Psychology Faculty Publications

Dual-earner parents (N = 119) of preschool children enrolled in licensed childcare centers completed anonymous questionnaires that examined work and family variables as related to paternal involvement in three areas: engagement (i.e., one-on-one interaction with the child), responsibility (i.e., taking care of the child’s needs), and accessibility (i.e., being available to the child without directly interacting). Paternal responsibility was predicted by beliefs about fathering and structural variables (e.g., hours fathers and mothers worked). The percentage of time fathers spent as their child’s primary caregiver was predicted by structural variables (e.g., mothers’ work hours) and belief variables (e.g., men’s beliefs about …

Do Overweight Inactive Parents Raise Overweight Inactive Children? Examination Of The Influence Of The Home Environment On Weight Status Of Children Over Time, Emily York-Crowe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary aim of this study was to test whether body mass index (BMI), psychosocial, and behavioral parental variables were associated with similar variables in children at baseline, and whether these variables also served as significant predictors of overweight status in children after two years. While there have been several cross-sectional studies examining the impact of parental behaviors and characteristics on similar variables in children, and several longitudinal studies predicting weight status, BMI percentile, and risk factors of disease in children over time, there is a paucity of research that has identified (cross-sectionally) and then tested (longitudinally) significant parental variables …

An Examination Of The Differential Outcomes Effect When Teaching Discriminations To Children With Autism And Other Developmental Disabilities, Laura Addison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The differential outcomes effect (DOE) refers to the finding that performance in discrimination training improves when different behaviors produce different reinforcers. In the current study, the effects of two DOE procedures on the acquisition of receptive language skills were compared. Participants were four children with autism and/or developmental delay/speech and language impairment. The children were presented with two toy or food items and asked to give the experimenter the item named. The names consisted of three-letter nonsense syllables. Correct responses were followed by one of the following consequences: (a) The opportunity to manipulate or consume the item to which the …

The Sleep Problems Inventory: A Measure For The Assessment Of Sleep Problems In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Dennis R. Dixon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sleep problems can have a broad impact across the day-to-day functioning of an individual. Persons with intellectual disabilities are at a particular risk for developing sleep problems, with prevalence estimates much higher than is found in the general population. Nonetheless, the assessment of sleep problems in persons with intellectual disabilities has been widely overlooked. The Sleep Problems Inventory (SLEEPY) was created to measure various factors related to sleep problems in persons with intellectual disabilities. The present study represents the first steps in establishing the reliability and validity of the SLEEPY in adults with intellectual disabilities.