Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Esteem And The Underdog : Why Stability Of Self-Esteem Matters In Social Situations, Kelly Dyjak

Master's Theses

Differences related to self-esteem and their possible influences on perceptions of underdogs were investigated. Global self-esteem and stability of self-esteem were evaluated using The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Participants' self-esteem was threatened by using the false feedback technique. Finally, perceptions of a competition between an underdog and a top dog were evaluated. The results demonstrated that although participants with stable and unstable self-esteem favor the underdog, participants with unstable self-esteem favor the underdog even more than the participants with stable self-esteem. The findings reinforce the robustness of the underdog effect and highlight a consequence of having unstable self-esteem.

A Cognitive Intervention To Increase The Salience Of Intrinsic Thoughts Associated With Exercise, Katie S. Moran

Master's Theses

A four-week cognitive intervention was created to increase the salience of intrinsic thoughts associated with exercise in moderately extrinsic exercisers. Participants were assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Those in the intervention condition were asked to respond to questions concerning the pleasure, enjoyment and/or satisfaction experienced during or after their exercise regimen each week. Results showed a marginally significant two-way interaction (p = .059) between the control and intervention condition over time. Those in the intervention condition showed a greater increase in intrinsic motivation than those in the control condition. These results. while only marginally significant, were in …

Sentence Recognition In Native And Foreign Languages : Comprehension Of Form And Meaning, Sara Elizabeth Sepanski

Master's Theses

The goal of language comprehension is to retrieve and retain the meaning of speech or text. Research with monolinguals has shown that participants' ability to detect structural changes in sentences decreases with time, while their ability to detect meaning changes remains accurate (Sachs, I967). In this study I examined whether this monolingual pattern holds for bilingual speakers in a second language. English-Spanish bilinguals at three different proficiency levels participated in a reading task in which native (LI) and non-native (L2) language sentences were presented. Participants read both LI and L2 sentences and were then tested for their recognition of the …

Affective Benefits Of Capitalizing On Personal Positive Events, Daniel B. Goldman

Master's Theses

The present study examined how disclosing personal positive events influenced ensuing positive affect (PA). Forty undergraduate students reported personal positive events either privately or to a friend. All participants made written and vocal disclosures, counterbalanced to control for order effects. We hypothesized that participants who vocally reported positive experiences to a friend would have the highest PA scores subsequent to disclosure. Results from a two-way mixed ANOV A failed to support the hypothesis. Trait optimism was significantly related to positive affect, but its inclusion as a covariate in the ANOV A did not influence the pattern of results. These results …

The Life-Long Diminution Of Anxiety Response As A Consequence Of Reproductive Experience, Ilan M. Mcnamara

Master's Theses

Reproductive experience (RE), associated with hormonal fluctuations and enriching environmental stimuli, enhances spatial memory and blunts responses to stress/anxiety. Whereas stress reductions occur during lactation, the persistence of the RE-anxiolytic effects is unclear; and little research has focused on the HP A axis, amygdala, and other anxietyrelated areas. Using an elevated plus maze (EPM), we examined anxiety in nulliparous (NP), primiparous (PP), and multiparous (MP) females (zero, one, or two litters, respectively) at 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 months of age. Brains were subsequently analyzed for neurodegeneration in dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). RE significantly dampened anxiety (defined by time …

The Relationship Between Age And Depression : A Self-Efficacy Model, Brandyn M. Street

Master's Theses

From an applied perspective, it is useful for clinicians and researchers to know what variables are more likely to be related to depressive symptoms for some groups than for others. From the social-cognitive perspective, symptoms of depression are linked to people's beliefs that they are unable to regulate or control their own functioning. The purpose of the present study was to test social cognitive theory and its claims about self efficacy by examining whether age and sex differences in depression are a function of emotion regulation, emotional self-efficacy and response styles to depression. The results indicated that females had a …

"Paper Sack Brown" : Effects Of Age, Skin Tone, And Stereotype Threat On Cognitive Performance And Self-Efficacy Among African Americans, Breonte Stephan Guy

Master's Theses

Divergent African American skin tones have led to negative stereotypes and outcomes regarding darker-skinned African Americans in many domains, including educational and occupational (Hill, 2002). This study assessed the effects of skin tone and stereotype threat (Steele and Aronson, 1995; Steele, 1997) on cognition in younger and older African Americans. A 2(Skin Tone: light, dark) X 2(Age: young, old) X 2(Stereotype Threat: Threat, Non-Threat) between subjects design was used. Seventy-four African American adults ranging in age from 18 to 86 years completed a battery of cognitive measures. Darker-skinned adults performed more poorly on three tests of intelligence, a paired-associates memory …

The Presence Of Pups After Birth : Effects On Spatial Memory And The Pre-Synaptic Protein Synaptophysin, Abbe Hoffman Macbeth

Master's Theses

A newly maternal rat goes through many changes when she gives birth, mostly due to prolonged elevation of hormones, particularly estrogen. Estrogen has been shown to increase memory capabilities by increasing synaptic activity in the CA1 hippocampus, but exactly how is still unknown. The current project uses reproductive experience to determine whether high hormone levels experienced during pregnancy and lactation affect spatial memory and synaptophysin, a pre-synaptic protein that controls vesicle exocytosis and thus may be responsible for enhanced synaptic connectivity. We found that reproduction itself does not affect memory of a spatial task, but the presence of pups has …

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Maternal Behavior : Neuronal Alterations In The Medial Preoptic Area And Suppression Of Pup Attacks, Lillian Flores Stevens

Master's Theses

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), by virtue of its relationship to various neurotransmitter systems, hormones, and to estrogen in particular, may play a role in maternal behavior. To explore this possible role, female virgin Sprague Dawley rats received continuous intracerebroventricular infusions ofBDNF sense oligonucleotide and were exposed to pups for maternal behavior testing. Behaviorally, BDNF sense had no effect on maternal behavior but did significantly suppress pup attacks during the first 24 hours of exposure. BDNF had a significant effect on neuronal morphology in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) as well, such that neurons in this region exposed to BDNF had …

Reproductive Experience And Aging : Possible Neuroprotective Effects Of Motherhood, Jessica Dawn Gatewood

Master's Theses

Hormonal fluctuations associated with pregnancy and post partum periods create significant changes in the brain and behavior in female rats. Animals were tested in a land version of the Morris Water maze for three days at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. At the ages of 12, 18, and 24 months animals were also tested in the same maze using a reversal task. At the conclusion of the study brains were analyzed for Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) to determine the amount of neurodegeneration among the groups. Multiparous animals showed significantly superior performance , followed by primiparous animals, and nulliparous animals …

The Effects Of Childhood Social Competence On Young Adults Interpersonal Competence In Dyadic And Family Relations: An Exploratory Analysis, Gwen Renae Pursell

Master's Theses

The majority of peer relations research focuses on the short and long term effects of childhood peer rejection and aggression for development. The importance of social competence and more specifically, its long term effects on development have not been as thoroughly examined within the peer research. In this 20 year follow-up investigation, preadolescent social competence, peer rejection, and aggression scores were used to predict adult measures of dyadic adjustment, family environment, and family expressiveness. In addition, both preadolescent peer relation scores and concurrent adult dyadic and family scores were used to predict offspring emotion regulation abilities, internalizing and externalizing symptomatology, …

Context Effects And Lexical Ambiguity Processing: An Activation-Based Account, Frazier Orgain

Master's Theses

Many studies have been conducted to test the effects of ambiguous words in sentence processing. There are two views: the modularity hypothesis and the interactive hypothesis that dominate this field of study. The effect of ambiguity has been tested in many ways, including gating, cross-modal priming, naming, and self-paced reading. This utilizes the methods of self paced reading with lexical decision and naming tasks to examine the hypotheses as they relate to the access period of lexical differentiation. Results indicate that context has an immediate effect, after which participants look to other factors to discern meaning of a sentence. Details …

Working Memory In Schizophrenics And Older Adults : A Mediator For Episodic Memory Deficits?, Matthew W. Webster

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of working memory on episodic memory in older adults and adults with schizophrenia. This study included 15 adults with schizophrenia, 20 young adults without psychopathology, and 21 older adults without psychopathology. Storage working memory scores were greater than processing working memory scores in all groups. Young adults had the fewest problems with episodic and working memory, compared to older adults and adults with schizophrenia, who had similar deficits in both memory types. Speed of processing was found to be the greatest predictor of working memory capacity.

Parent-Child Attachment And Communication Quality As Indicators Of Psychological Adjustment : Preliminary Implications For Psychological Maltreatment Research, Sarah Kobielski

Master's Theses

This study examined the dynamics of the parent-child relationship by determining whether or not the quality of parent-child attachment and communication patterns are related to child endorsed adjustment outcomes. In addition, examination of the parentchild relationship is useful way to better understand the domain of psychological maltreatment, and likewise, attachment and communication quality are suggested to major contributing factors to the development of psychological maltreatment. 42 children completed the Parent-Adolescent Communication scale (PACS), the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), and the Emotional Symptoms Index (ESI). 22 parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Matson Evaluation of …

Group Polarization And Social Norms On Normative Body Weight Misperception And Eating Disordered Symptomology, Kelly Sears Cox

Master's Theses

Group polarization, social norms, and misperceptions of normative body weight were evaluated in sorority and non-sorority (comparison) undergraduate women at the University of Richmond. The participants completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Weight Locus of Control Scale, the Rosenburg Self-esteem Scale, the Multidimensional Body- Self Relations Questionnaire, and several self-report questions. Sorority and comparison participants significantly misperceived normative body weight. One sorority differed significantly from the other groups on misperception of normative body weight and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. The comparison group had significantly lower scores than the three sororities on the Self-Esteem Scale. The four instruments did not significantly …

Alterations In Neurogenesis Following The Transition From Virgin To Maternal/Lactating Female, Elizabeth Amory

Master's Theses

The hippocampus displays hormone induced plasticity during estrus. Pregnancy, which exposes a female to a significantly longer duration of elevated estrogen and progesterone, results in even greater changes in neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, with late-pregnant and lactating females displaying a significantly higher concentration of apical dendritic spines. Hippocampal astrocytes were increased in number and showed more and thicker processes in late-pregnant and lactating females. Such anatomical changes may also enhance spatial learning and memory. Changes in reproductive capacity may influence the rate at which new neurons are born, so called neurogenesis. In two experiments, neurogenesis in …

Reproductive Experience And Stress Responsiveness, Jennifer Elizabeth Wartella

Master's Theses

Hormonal fluctuations and maternal behavior associated with pregnancy and postpartum care of pups induce many changes in the female rat. Circulating hormonal surges during pregnancy modify the female brain in preparation for motherhood. Past studies identify the medial preoptic area, the hypothalamus and the basal forebrain as structures dense in hormonal receptors involved in controlling reproductive behavior. The hippocampus and amygdala possess many hormonal receptors. Neurons exposed to pregnancy hormones develop new synapses and increased spine density, changes reflected in behavioral preparations, such as nest building and increased foraging, for the new pups. Following the experience of birth, pup stimulation …

Attention, Memory, And Self-Efficacy Differences Between Adhd And Aging Individuals, Douglas Lee Welsh

Master's Theses

Attention and memory abilities decline with age. Although a similar pattern of attentional and memory decrement has been observed in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), these two populations have never been directly compared. The present study examined performance on attention, self-efficacy (SE), and memory tasks by ADHD young adults and non-ADHD younger and older adults. ADHD adults displayed lower attentional SE than both non-ADHD younger and older adults, but performed comparably to older adults on an attention task on which non-ADHD younger adults outperformed both groups. ADHD adults and older adults had lower memory SE than non-AD HD …

Glial Cell Alterations In The Rat Medial Preoptic Area And Hippocampus As A Function Of Reproductive State, Gordon Wentworth Gifford

Master's Theses

Changes in reproductive state are accompanied by fluctuating levels of female gonadal hormones at higher levels and for longer periods of time than the normal estrus cycle. These hormones have been noted, in cell culture and over the regular estrus cycle, to influence structural changes in neurons and glial cells in areas of the brain associated with the conduct of maternal behavior. The purpose of this project was to characterize changes in GFAP immunoreactivity and astrocyte morphology in the mPOA and hippocampus as a function of reproductive state and female steroid hormone treatment. Results of this investigation noted an increases …

Modifications Of Nitric Oxide And Sexual Behavior In Prenatally Stressed Male Rats, Stephen D. Miller

Master's Theses

Normal male sexual differentiation is the culmination of perfectly timed, prenatal gonadal hormone release. Prenatal stress (PS) has a detrimental effect upon this process, obstructing the natural development of brain structures and sexual behavior. Prenatally-stressed male rats exhibit many physiological and neuroendocrinological differences when compared to control males. PS has a particularly harmful effect upon male sexual behavior, to which the neurotransmitter nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be intimately involved. The present experiment examined whether PS reduces nNOS, the rate limiting enzyme of NO, in the medial preoptic area (rnPOA) of male rats, and whether administration of the …

The Active Architecture Of Mind : Dynamic Categorization During Metaphor Processing, James Hambrick

Master's Theses

Contemporary metaphor theory has moved away from consideration of metaphor as a similarity statement or comparison, and toward the idea that metaphor is a temporary or permanent extension of our taxonomy of concepts in long-term memory. However, this new emphasis has resulted in a divergent pattern of results in the literature. This research was designed to integrate that pattern by testing for the role of categorization in the comprehension of metaphor, and seeing whether multiple models were needed to explain that role. Experiment 1 failed to support access of metaphorical categories in the understanding of familiar metaphors. Experiment 2 found …

The Effect Of The Mail In Voter Registration Form On Voter Turnout In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Leroy O. Pfeiffer

Master's Theses

Over the years, many states have undertaken different approaches to increase voter registration and stimulate voter participation in the electoral process. One such approach was the Commonwealth of Virginia's Voter Registration Extension Form, which was instituted in 1989. Using statewide voter registration statistics and a survey of state voter registrars, this paper attempts to measure the impact that this form had on voter registration and turnout in the electoral process from 1989 to 1994. This thesis finds that the registration extension form was reasonably successful in terms of increasing registration. Yet, easing registration requirements does not significantly increase voter turnout.

Continuity Of Emotions Across Pre-Sleep State And The Content Of Dreams, Teresa M. Picciocchi

Master's Theses

The relationship between unmanipulated pre-sleep states and the affective composition of dreams was investigated. Sixty college students completed the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) prior to retiring for the night and the Differential Emotion Scale {DES-IV) focusing upon any dream recalled upon awakening. In support of the Continuity Theory, which states that our personalities and experiences are reflected in our dreams, significant positive correlations were found between pre-sleep curiosity and the presence of interest in the dream, pre-sleep anger and anger in the dream and pre sleep depression and sadness within the dream. Support for the Day Residue effect was obtained …

Self-Enhancement Motivational Bias In Attributions Of Causality And Responsibility To A Target Other : Situational And Dispositional Determinants, Jennifer Leigh Dent

Master's Theses

Prior research has shown that people often self-enhance to protect their self-concept from harm. The present research was designed to investigate situational and dispositional determinants of people's tendency to make self-enhancing attributions to a partner to whom they either do or do not feel psychologically connected to. In Experiment 1, participants who had been induced to self-extend to a partner made greater attributions of causality to the partner when the partner's fate was positive than when it was negative. Experiment 2 provided evidence for a dispositional component of self-extension, and indicated that perceivers' attributions to a partner are further influenced …

Neuropsychological Outcome And Player Characteristics In Amateur Soccer Players, Kyle W. Evans

Master's Theses

A growing body of research suggests that the game of soccer causes neurophysiological damage and neuropsychological deficits in its players. This research project evaluated player characteristics, including aggression, position, heading frequency, and head injuries in an attempt to delineate the effect of traumatic head injuries from the possible detrimental effects of heading the ball. Fifty-three male, amateur soccer players participated in a brief neuropsychological evaluation and a structured interview. Findings revealed that the number of years played (r=.30, p=.03) and an index score representing the number of competitive seasons (r=.44, p=001) were the only player characteristics that correlated with test …

Past Tense Marking In English By Chinese Learners, Hsuehmei Liu Price

Master's Theses

Researchers in the field of both first and second language acquisition have been studying the mechanisms underlying the marking of past tense in English, and have identified verb saliency, grammatical aspect, and proficiency level as some of the factors influencing the process. This study tests these factors by comparing 60 Chinese English learners' correct marking of English past tense under various conditions using analysis of variance. I found that Chinese learners of English are more likely to mark irregular verbs and aspectual perfectives than regular verbs and aspectual imperfectives for past tense. However, proficiency level was not found to have …

President Gerald Ford's Impact On United States Foreign Policy From 1974 To 1991, Robert David Clifton

Master's Theses

To illustrate President Ford's impact on United States' foreign policy, this thesis looks at his early life, his Congressional career and his brief tenure as Vice President. From there, it focuses on the differences between Ford and President Nixon. The paper looks at their personalities, decision-making styles, and their styles of leadership. Next, it analyzes the major international events that took place during Ford's years in the White House. These events include the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia, communist intervention in Angola and Ford's dealings with the Soviet Union and The Peoples' Republic of China. Finally, the paper examines …

Group Therapy For Sexually Abused Adolescents : Assessment Of Coping Skills, Negative Beliefs, And Self-Esteem, Kimberly R. Akin

Master's Theses

The sexual victimization of children in an increasing crime problem in this country and is now also recognized as a serious mental health issue. It has been estimated that the risk of victimization could be as high as one in ten for boys (Finkelhor, 1979) and one in three for girls (Anderson, Martin, Mullen, Romans, & Herbison, 1993). Girls are eight times as likely as boys to suffer rape (Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1994). Prevalence rates estimate between 15% and 38% of women (Finkelhor, 1984; Herman, 1981) and 6% of men (Finkelhor, 1984) have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

There is …

Implementing Public Policy : The Virginia Comprehensive Community Corrections Act For Local-Responsible Offenders, Tracey L. Jenkins

Master's Theses

This is a study of how the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) attempted to implement a major crime initiative, the Comprehensive Community Corrections Act (CCCA). The aim is to explain the implementation process in DCJS with reference to organizational models developed by Richard Elmore (1978). A careful analysis of the day-to-day operation and decision-making processes of DCJS, with particular emphasis on the implementation of the CCCA, shows that DCJS normally corresponds with the expectations of the "organizational development" and "bureaucratic process" models described in Elmore's typology of organizations. Still, agencies often must adapt to political and policy changes that …

The 1990 Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act : A Case Study In Public Interest Lobbying, Louise Ryland Thornton

Master's Theses

This thesis compares and contrasts the tactics and techniques used by Virginia public interest lobbyists in the passage of the 1990 VIRGINIA INDOOR CLEAN AIR ACT with Alan Rosenthal's analysis of state legislative lobbying found in his book, THE THIRD HOUSE. Primary sources include personal interviews and legislative documents, while newspaper articles provide the secondary source of information. Lobbyists used the indirect and direct lobbying techniques, suggested in Rosenthal's framework, to persuade others to their point of view. Supporters of the CLEAN AIR BILL had to deviate, in part, from some of Rosenthal's direct lobbying strategies due to Virginia's history …