Psychology Commons^™

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Video Self-Monitoring On Staff Treatment Integrity During Covert And Overt Observations, Amber R. Paden

Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has shown low treatment integrity can lead to decreased effectiveness and efficiency of skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction (DTI; Carroll et al., 2013). Pantermuehl and Lechago (2015) found that during covert observations, treatment integrity ranged from 18.6 to 76% whereas during overt observations, integrity was as high as 100%. This shows reactivity is an obstacle within DTI service delivery. It is important to investigate how reactivity affects staff performance and identify ways to increase and maintain high integrity. Finding a socially acceptable, effective, and efficient method to increase and maintain high levels of staff treatment integrity during covert …

Correspondence Between Sensitivity Tests And Functional Analyses To Assess Emerging Challenging Behavior, Isaac J. Melanson

Theses & Dissertations

Behavior analysts typically assess and treat challenging behavior after it occurs regularly and at high severity. Although effective, this reactive approach is quite costly and resource intensive. A growing body of literature supports an alternative preventive approach, the first step of which involves conducting sensitivity tests to screen the emergence of lower-severity challenging behavior and functional skills (e.g., Fahmie et al., 2020). Research on sensitivity tests has shown that information on the function of emerging challenging behavior can be acquired in a relatively short period of time. Despite the potential value of sensitivity tests, their validity has not yet been …

Implementing The Reconsolidation Paradigm In Treating Misophonia, Angel Prats

Theses and Dissertations

Misophonic patients experience extreme sense of disgust when exposed to acoustic and/or visual triggers. In this longitudinal study, the reconsolidation paradigm was applied to treat 25 patients during a month. The findings reveal that reminders in a control setting did not improve maladaptive memories, but counterconditioning update ameliorated symptoms.

An Assessment Process And Guide For Intervention To Increase Procedural Fidelity, Silvia Cabal

Thesis Projects

For applied behavior analytic (ABA) services to be effective and provide change, those providing services must be well trained. However, when low procedural fidelity is observed, whether it is due to a skill or performance deficit may be unknown. Assessments can help provide insight into whether low procedural fidelity by a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) providing services is due to a skill or performance deficit. The intervention can then be tailored to the RBT's specific needs. This study evaluates this process by administering the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) to three RBTs and providing either a reinforcement intervention or behavioral …

Evaluating The Epidemiological, Hormonal, And Psychosocial Sex-Based Differences In Sports-Related Concussion Outcomes, Samantha Kanny

All Dissertations

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) affect approximately 3.8 million athletes in the United States per year. A multitude of risk factors including age, sex, concussion history and prior medical conditions have been observed to significantly increase sports-related concussion symptom burden. Researchers have posited many reasons to explain sex-based differences in SRC outcomes, often categorized by biological characteristics or sociocultural factors, however, females are vastly underrepresented in sports-related concussion research, making it difficult to understand the true mechanisms underlying SRC sex-based differences. The goal of this dissertation is to help fill the current gap in knowledge on sex-based differences in sports-related concussion outcomes. …

Enhancing Nursing Engagement And Morale At Middlesex Health, Taylor Watson

Senior Honors Projects

Due to staff complaints about lack of support coming from their peers and the administration in addition to mounting safety concerns, there has been a noted decline in the morale of psychiatric nursing staff at Middlesex Health. I led a project that developed and implemented strategic initiatives, including a retreat focused on self-care and team-building. Pre-retreat surveys identified the staff's expectations, shaping activities that fostered engagement and accountability. Post-retreat feedback showed significant enjoyment and a desire for future events. Additionally, the creation of a vision board helped staff visualize their ideal work environment. Evaluations from detailed pre- and post-intervention surveys …

A Review Of Training For First Responders When Interacting With Individuals With Diagnoses, Mackenzie Drost, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Safety is a priority for first responders when responding to calls, but there have been numerous cases in which unintentional harm was caused when interacting with individuals with diagnoses or disabilities. Thus, it seems as though effective training procedures for these professionals is critical. However, training for first responders varies from state to state and can depend on the county in which the services are provided. Although behavioral skills training (BST) has a well-established history of training non behavior-analytic professionals and although there have been some encouraging recommendations for the effective dissemination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to those outside …

The Role Of Cosmopolitan Orientation In Covid-19-Related Attitudes: Perceived Threats And Opportunities, Vaccination Willingness, And Support For Collective Containment Efforts, Angela K. Y. Leung, Brandon Koh, Verity Yu Qing Lua, James H. Liu, Sarah Y. Choi, I-Ching Lee, Michelle Lee, Mei-Hua Lin, Darrin Hodgetts, Sylvia X. Chen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cosmopolitan individuals identify themselves as "citizens of the world." In the present research, we tested the idea that endorsing a cosmopolitan orientation (CO) is adaptive in the COVID-19 crisis. Cosmopolitan individuals more readily transcend national parochialism, show greater concern for all humanity, and prioritize collective interests. In a two-wave multi-region investigation with six samples from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S., we first established longitudinal and cross-cultural measurement invariance of the CO scale. Next, we found that people with a higher CO tended to perceive over time a greater threat posed by COVID-19, take more safety measures, …

Improving Pitch Recognition By Fading Visual Prompts, Joshua Lawrence Ford

Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral Science and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) provides tools and technologies that can be used by players, coaches, and researchers to enhance the traditional training for student athletes. The current study was designed to examine whether stimulus prompts would facilitate collegiate baseball player’s accuracy of pitch identification for three pitches. A secondary measure was to decrease the latency from the launch of a pitch to identification of the pitch. Decreases in the latency of a hitter recognizing a pitch and increases in pitch recognition accuracy were noted using visual analysis. Stimulus fading showed mixed results across participants. Future directions and …

The Viral Spread Of Xenophobia: Analyzing The Influence Of Far-Right Politics On Anti-Asian Sentiment Expressed On Social Media During Covid-19., Robert F. Arnold Iii

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Throughout history, viral outbreaks have frequently led to the emergence of biased and discriminatory attitudes, often targeting populations that deviate from Western norms. These sentiments commonly manifest as xenophobia and racism (Chen, 2020; Chou, 2021). This report serves as an in-depth analysis of the role far-right political phrasing of Covid-19 as the “Chinese Virus,” played in the proliferation of anti-Asian and xenophobic attitudes, expressed on the social media platform X (Twitter). This study also aims to better understand the various different factors that cause followers of far-right politics to engage and believe in anti-Asian sentiment online. Using Integrated Threat Theory …

Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Targeted Within Social Services, Britny Ragland

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study used a survey to describe social workers’ and MSW students’ level of preparedness in identifying and providing prevention and intervention for commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceptions of social workers and social work students have the necessary skills, knowledge, and training to identify, and provide intervention for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC). Data was collected from thirty-five participants. Findings were that there appears to be no significance between the level of skills, knowledge and training among social workers and social work students in their ability to provide intervention for commercially …

The Effects Of Performance Matrix Scorecards And Job Crafting On Student-Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork Experience And Burnout Levels, Mary Louise Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Prioritizing behavior analyst well-being should start during coursework and concentrated supervised fieldwork (CSF) experience. Research shows burnout is highly likely in human service settings, and teaching individuals how to implement protective factors against burnout should be a focus in addition to required coursework and practicum experience. Experiment 1 will analyze the effects of a performance matrix scorecard on improved productivity and well-being for students starting their practicum experience. Experiment 2 will teach students how to practice job crafting to enhance the use of the performance matrix scorecard. Using these tools could teach students generalizable skills to maintain high levels of …

Exploring The Relationship Between Anxiety And Virtual Reality Sickness, David Wesley Woolverton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

As virtual reality (VR) becomes more commonly used in education, it is important to understand the technology’s weakness and mitigate any potential negative effects on student success. One adverse side-effect of VR use is simulation-induced motion sickness, known in the context of VR as VR sickness. Previous research by Howard and Van Zandt (2021) found that possessing a phobia had a significant positive correlation with VR sickness, but only if the phobia is triggered by the simulation, suggesting that symptoms are actually connected to the anxiety the phobia induces. This study explored the hypothesized correlation between anxiety and VR sickness, …

Evaluating Behavioral Skills Training To Improve Data Collection Procedures In Paraprofessionals, Megan Weber

Theses

When working with individuals with a variety of abilities and disabilities, data collection becomes arguably the most important tool in ensuring student success and growth. To put trust in collected data, both data reliability and treatment integrity must be considered. When one individual is taking all data required for a specific individual, reliability and integrity can be simpler to ensure (Vollmer et al., 2008). However, in many special education classrooms across the country, paraprofessionals are asked to perform many of the same data collection tasks as certified educators; a role which, as in many of the roles they serve within …

Comparison Of Rip And Rcp Conditioning Procedures On Vocalizations In Children With Autism And Minimal Echoic Repertoire, Jacqueline Pecoraro

Theses

Pairing procedures have been utilized by researchers and in applied practice for many years to establish neutral stimuli as conditioned reinforcers. Recently, pairing procedures, specifically stimulus-stimulus pairing, have been applied to vocalizations. Vocalizations are an essential element for language development because once vocalizations are brought under echoic control, they can be used to further develop a child’s verbal behavior. Results of the research conducted on stimulus-stimulus pairing had varied results, and the effectiveness of stimulus-stimulus pairing on increasing vocalizations is uncertain. Lepper and Petursdottir (2017) conducted a study that compared traditional stimulus-stimulus pairing (or response-independent pairing (RIP)) to response-contingent pairing …

Functional Analysis And Intervention Of Multiply Controlled Behavior, Nicole Carbonelli Rosa

Thesis Projects

More than one function may control problem behavior. Functional analysis helps identify the potential sources of reinforcement that maintain the problem behavior. Interventions such as functional communication training (FCT) and extinction (EXT) have proven effective in decreasing problem behavior and increasing compliance among children with intellectual disabilities. This paper aims to conduct a functional analysis and treatment for children with multiply controlled behaviors by replicating and extending the works of Neidert, Iwata, and Dozier (2005). Intervention procedures consisted of FCT and EXT and were based on each relevant function of behavior for each participant. As a result of the intervention …

Participant Preferences Of Identified Maintaining Contingencies, Aubrey Ashby

Thesis Projects

This study sought to evaluate the relationship between preference for reinforcement and behavioral function of one participant. In Study 1, functional analysis (FA) methodologies were employed to determine the function of disruptive behaviors. Study 2 consisted of a concurrent chains analysis where the participant was asked to select the FA condition, they preferred the most. Study 3 evaluated preferences for contingent reinforcement or non-contingent reinforcement of the preferred reinforcer identified in study 2. Results demonstrated that although the participants’ behavior was maintained by escape and attention, the participant preferred the attention condition. Study 3 was inconclusive due to the participant …

A Study Of Mental Health Conditions Among Elite Level Athletes, Sawyer Magnett

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the effects of stigmatization on elite level athletes’ mental health and overall wellbeing. Within this study, elite level athletes will be defined as those that participate in collegiate programs and the levels beyond that. Stigma is generally defined as negative beliefs towards a particular group of people or a state of being. When stigma is prevalent within athletic settings, many athletes tend to be silent about the struggles they face daily. Stigma is manifested either publicly or personally in the arena of elite level athletics due to preconceived notions within this demographic. Through close examination of current …

The Anatomical Embodiment Of Morning Routines In The Reduction Of Anxiety: An Intervention, Natalie Wright

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The topic under investigation is whether physically embodying a morning routine that was designed through the lens of Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA) will reduce daily symptoms of individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Since morning routines play a significant part in one’s preparation for the day, I created an individualized LBMA morning routine for a specific client to embody. In addition to the routine, the client documented the process of their anxiety levels on a weekly basis. This client was a white, female, 19-year-old, lesbian college student who was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The movement analysis …

Interdisciplinary Treatment Approach To Youth With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities And Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions, Ashley Greenwald, Erika Ryst, Diane D. Thorkildson, Lauren Brown

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Many individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have co-occurring mental health needs, yet service delivery options often do not allow for the integrated delivery of mental health treatment and social behavioral support services. Siloed treatment approaches often result in lack of collaboration between providers, increasing the difficulty in accessing comprehensive and coordinated treatments and reducing treatment potential and effective outcomes. Additionally, many service providers in behavioral support services are not trained to address significant mental health needs; similarly, providers of mental health services lack experience in modifying practices for differing cognitive needs. The lack of cross-training and cross-collaboration makes …

Profiling Cybercriminals: Behavioral Analysis And Motivations Behind Cybercrime Activities, A'Shya Latrice Reynolds

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The study of cybercriminal behavior and motivations is crucial for understanding and combating the evolving landscape of digital crime. This paper delves into the intricate realm of cybercrime profiling, employing a multidisciplinary approach to dissect the behavioral patterns and underlying motivations of cybercriminals. Drawing from psychology, sociology, and criminology, the research examines the intricate interplay of individual traits, social dynamics, and technological factors that shape cybercriminal activities.

Through analysis of case studies and research, this paper uncovers the diverse range of motivations driving individuals towards engaging in cybercrime. From financial gain and ideological extremism to thrill-seeking and revenge, cybercriminals exhibit …

The Psychological Effects Of Solitary Confinement On Incarcerated Individuals: A Systematic Literature Review, Lara Z. Parkes, Jonathan C. Dowers

Selected Student Publications

This systematic literature review looks at previous research that explores the possibility of a correlation between solitary confinement and the presence of mental illness within those isolated inmates. Twenty percent of prison inmates experience isolation for up to twenty-two hours per day with restricted social interaction and limited amenities (Hagan et al., 2018; Ryan & DeVylder, 2020). Certain inmate demographics are more likely to be sent into isolation in an effort to protect themselves or others, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, the developmentally impaired, and the mentally ill. However, this practice often has the opposite of its intended effect. …

Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How To Playfriendly Tricks, Adel Naj, Megan St. Clair, Kacie Massoudie, Jonathan Tarbox, Lauri Simchoni, Marianne Jackson, Angela Persicke

Psychology Division Scholarship

Perspective taking is a critical repertoire for navigating social relationships and consists of a variety of complex verbalskills, including socially adaptive forms of deception. Detecting and being able to use socially adaptive deception likelyhas many practical uses, including defending oneself against bullying, telling white lies to avoid hurting others’ feelings,keeping secrets and bluffing during games, and playing friendly tricks on others. Previous research has documented thatsome Autistic1 children have challenges identifying deception and playfully deceiving others (Reinecke et al., 1997). Thecurrent study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of multiple exemplar training, rules,modeling, practice, and …

An Evaluation Of The Teach-Back Method For Training Functional Analysis Methodology, Bethany Christie

Theses

Behavior analysts conduct functional analyses to identify the environmental contingencies maintaining challenging behavior, which allows them to develop a function-based treatment plan. Behavioral staff must be fully trained on functional analysis methodology before conducting the analysis. A common way to train staff to conduct a functional analysis is through behavioral skills training (BST), but BST is time consuming and includes numerous materials. Teach-back, a widely used training method in healthcare settings, requires less time and no materials. Currently, there is little research on the effectiveness of the teach-back method for teaching behavioral techniques, and there is no research on the …

A Comparison Of Instructional Methods For Teaching Apa Skills, Zachary Hooten

Theses

Writing is highly important for college students, and they will need to conform to the formatting of the writing styles used in their classes. One style required of many students is the American Psychological Association (APA). Students often make errors when formatting references using APA Style. Although various instructional strategies have been used to teach these skills, some methods take a long time to achieve minimal increases or are cumbersome to implement in some learning environments. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an empirically supported method for teaching skills that involves providing the learner with written and verbal instructions, modeling, practice …

A Descriptive Study Of Baseline Activity Levels Of Tursiops Truncatus, Brianna M. Erck

Posters - 2024

Well-being of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) has been measured in many ways, including activity levels. Activity levels are composed of behaviors that vary with intensity and range from floats, breaches, perimeter swims, and aerials. Deviations from baseline behavior or activity level may be indicative of changes in state of well-being. The purpose of this study was to assess the activity level of a large social grouping of bottlenose dolphins in human care during baseline observations. A total of 215 5-min observation sessions were collected for a population of 15 to 18 bottlenose dolphins located in Roatán, Honduras between 2019-2024. The …

How Do Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Behave In The Presence Of A Swimming Researcher?, Brianna M. Brianna, Megan E. Davis

Posters - 2024

Longitudinal observations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in managed care provide opportunities to assess behavior within different contexts, which may provide insights into individual and population wellbeing (e.g., Delfour et al., 2021; Serres et al., 2021). Since 2019, a longitudinal study on space use by bottlenose dolphins housed at a lagoon-based facility in Roatán, Honduras, has been conducted. Dolphin behavior and location data were collected with the goal of comparing behavior without humans present to varying contexts in which humans were present. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess behaviors exhibited by dolphins in close proximity to a …

A Comparison Of The Relative Magnitude Of Combinations Of Relapse Types In Rats, Mary Bridges

Theses

Applied behavior analysis uses scientifically derived methods to create treatments for socially significant behaviors. A threat to these successful treatments is the recurrence of previously reduced behavior (i.e., relapse). Relapse can be categorized into several types depending on the variables that induce relapse. Three types prevalent in clinical settings are reinstatement (i.e., induced by re-exposure to reinforcers or stimuli paired with the target behavior), renewal (i.e., induced by changes in context), and resurgence (i.e., induced by worsening of alternative reinforcement). Because relapse is harmful to long-term treatment maintenance, prior research has developed and tested mitigation strategies for these relapse types, …

Everyone Deserves A Dental Home, Loren C. Baim Dds

The New York State Dental Journal

With knowledge and preparation, dental practices should be able to accommodate the growing population of people on the autism spectrum.

Motivations Matter: Moral And Health-Related Motives Indirectly Relate To Differential Psychological Health Indicators Among Vegetarians, Xiaoyu Dai, Angela K. Y. Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Due to rising popularity of vegetarianism in recent years, research interest has surged in examining the relationship between vegetarianism and psychological health. However, given inconsistent findings in prior research, the answer to whether practicing vegetarianism is associated with better or worse psychological health is still elusive. The present investigation aimed to demonstrate that vegetarians are not homogeneous in terms of psychological experiences, such that it is crucial to consider the motives behind vegetarians’ dietary choice when examining their psychological health. In a survey study with 266 vegetarians and 104 omnivores, it was shown that health vegetarians displayed higher levels of …