Psychology Commons^™

Body Image, Emotional Regulation, And Binge Eating In Obese Females, Courtney D. Stahl

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) tend to endorse significant overconcerns with weight and shape and a greater propensity to eat in response to negative mood states. The primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of body image disturbance on the self-regulation of affect in female obese non-binge (n=46) and binge eaters (n=l09). Groups were similar in age (M=46.3) and race (84% Caucasian). Obese non-binge eaters were significantly less obese (BMI=35.50) than their binge eating counterparts (BMI=38.60). On the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), obese binge eaters endorsed significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater feelings of …

Examining The Behavioral And Physiological Components Of Communication Skills Training With Married Couples: Are Differential Effects Mediated By The Topic Discussed And Initial Level Of Marital Distress?, Tara L. Cornelius

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to experimentally examine the effects of the Speaker-Listener technique when the couple was instructed to either (a) discuss an issue within, or (b) outside the marriage, on couples’ initial and long-term levels of marital distress and satisfaction. This study was designed to examine Gottman, et al. (1998) hypothesis that the Speaker-Listener skills training technique may be effective and lead to improved levels of marital satisfaction when the couple is complaining about a third party, but complaining about each other may become divisive and weaken the marital relationship, and that such an effect would …

Role Of Naming In Stimulus Categorization By Preschool Children, Caio Flavio Miguel

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to assess whether children would categorize pictures when taught the relevant listener and speaker behaviors separately. A category-sort test was used to assess emergent conditional relations. Category-sort trials consisted of looking at (Test 1) or tacting/labeling (Test 2) a samplestimulus and selecting the appropriate comparison stimuli. In Experiment 1, 4 children (3- 5 years) were taught to tact pictures of six U.S. state maps as either north or south. An assessment was conducted to determine whether they would (1) correctly categorize or sort when presented with a visual sample and (2) select the …

International Education, The Internet, And The Three Kings Experiment, Jaap Kooijman, Jude Davies, Linda Berg-Cross, Etc ...

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

The current project linked students in three universities in a guided discussion of the movie, Three Kings. The goals were to assess the viability of having students from three different courses, in three different universities, in three different countries find common ground to have intellectual discussions via the Internet and to assess how responsive students would be to answering structured questions as a stimulus for intellectual discussions. We also wanted to understand how the Three Kings was perceived by students in the United States, England, and the Netherlands. Overall, there were 19 students who contributed a total of 217 conversational …

Single Professional Women: A Global Phenomenon Challenges And Opportunities, Linda Berg-Cross, Anne-Marie Scholz, Joanne Long, Ewa Grzeszcyk, Anjali Roy

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the globalization of elite single professional women (SPW) as the first new global sociological phenomenon of the twenty-first century. We trace the economic roots of the phenomenon and how female empowerment interacts with the psychological prerequisites for mating. We then trace how the phenomenon is being expressed outside of the United States, in India, Poland, and Germany. We conclude by putting these observations into a historical perspective and briefly listing possible strategies for responding, adapting, and maximizing one’s options.

Predictors Of Participation In Premarital Prevention Programs: The Health Belief Model And Social Norms, Kieran T. Sullivan, Lauri A. Pasch, Tara Cornelius, Ellen Cirigliano

Psychology

The development of effective programs to prevent marital dysfunction has been a recent focus for marital researchers, but the effective dissemination of these programs to engaged couples has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this study is to determine which factors predict couples' participation in premarital counseling. Predictive factors were derived from the health prevention literature, with a particular focus on the health belief model (HBM). Couples' beliefs and attitudes about premarital counseling were assessed at least six months before their wedding, and participation was assessed after their wedding. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of couples' participation were …

Adaptation To Changing Marketplace Conditions By Psychologists In Independent Practice, Keith James Monroe

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent surveys have provided support to the frequently asserted opinion that managed care has negatively impacted psychologists in independent practice. Many recommendations have been made by professional organizations to address the negative impact and most have been directed at guiding practitioners to adapt to changes in health care delivery. However, there is little data on how private practitioners evaluate these recommendations or if they are using these strategies to adapt to the changing practice environment. The focus of this dissertation was to assess the extent that psychologists in independent practice have adopted the recommended strategies. By establishing a representative sample …

The Sexual Abuse Crisis In The Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists And Counselors Should Know, Thomas G. Plante, Courtney Daniels

Psychology

Recent events regarding child sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere have yet again resulted in a tremendous amount of media attention and frenzy regarding this topic. During 2002 alone, approximately 300 American Catholic priests, including several bishops, were accused of child sexual abuse. Many were forced to resign their positions while others were prosecuted and went to prison. Curiously, there still exist many myths and misperceptions about priests who sexually abuse children and their victims. Since psychologists and other mental health professionals are likely to interact with many who have been impacted …

Continuous And Interrupted Exposure Therapy In The Treatment Of Public Speaking Anxiety, Stacey A. Waller

Dissertations

Current research suggests that exposure-based interventions are the treatment of choice for anxiety disorders (Barlow & Wolfe, 1981; Barlow, 1988; 2002; Zinbarg, Barlow, Brown, & Hertz, 1992; Foa, Rothbaum, & Kozak, 1989). While the evidence to date supports the efficacy of these procedures, the precise mechanisms by which they achieve symptom reduction are not yet fully understood. Most theoretical explanations of exposure therapy appeal to the respondent and operant conditioning processes from which the procedure was originally derived. While it is frequently argued that in order to achieve operant and respondent extinction, exposure must be delivered continuously, without interruption (Barlow, …

Working With Heterosexual Allies On Campus: A Qualitative Exploration Of Experiences Among Lgbt Campus Resource Center Directors, Melissa A. Bullard

Dissertations

The scholarly literature has just recently begun to address the role that heterosexual allies can play in responding to the unique needs and challenges facing LGBT people. As Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Campus Resource Centers are expanding in number and scope on college and university campuses across the United States, heterosexual allies have increased opportunities to support and advocate for LGBT people. Yet very little is known about what heterosexual allies do, or how their presence and actions impact LGBT people. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the experiences that LGBT individuals have with …

Substance Abuse Treatment Referrals Of U.S. Navy Personnel, Robert M. Storer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although outcomes for people in substance abuse treatment have been well examined, little is known about the efficacy of processes for referring people into such treatment. This report gives results from an ongoing study that is empirically assessing the efficacy of substance abuse treatment referrals for U.S. Navy personnel. The overall referral success rate (persons recommended for treatment and enrolled within 60 days of that recommendations) was found to be only 54.2%. Neither command valuation of the individual as represented by a command investment measure, nor organizational commitment on the part of the individual as measured by the Organizational Commitment …

The Connection Between The Decision To Join A Secular Jewish-Oriented Group And Perceived Jewish Identity: A Comparative Study Between American And Israeli Joiners, Nirit Bayrach-Avraham

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The literature about self-identity views the self as socially constructed, constantly revised, and providing the individual with a narrative of continuity despite change (Shu-Fang Dien, 2000; McAdams, 1985). In this study, identity literature and the narrative approach were used theoretically and methodologically, to explore the connections between the decision to join a secular Jewish-oriented group (SJOG), and the joiner's perceived Jewish identity among joiners in Israel and in the U.S.

It was hypothesized that joining serves to reinforce, distinguish, and renegotiate a Jewish secular identity. Additionally, differences in the group's social context were expected to manifest through identity-negotiations content.

Results …

The Use Of Computer-Based Programmed Instruction As A Supplemental Tool To Train Behavior Analysis Concepts, Jason T. Otto

Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to produce effective computer-based programmed instruction modules to serve as supplemental training for an ongoing college seminar in behavior analysis. Computer-based programmed instruction supplemented a checklist of a strategy for diagramming behavioral contingencies in the first study and supplemented difficult textbook material in the other studies. In all, the instruction involved 31 concepts, rules, or objectives. Microsoft ®PowerPoint® and Macromedia Flash(TM) were the authoring tools used to develop these supplemental modules. The modules involved multiple-choice-branching programming, which students completed as homework assignments that were delivered with a compact disk (Studies 1-4) and the World …

Perceived Similarity, Expectation-Reality Discrepancies, And Mentors' Expressed Intention To Remain In Big Brothers/Big Sisters Programs, Benjamin Paul Madia, Catherine J. Lutz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Studies have begun to document the academic and psychosocial benefits of Big Brothers/ Big Sisters programs for at-risk youth (Rhodes, Grossman, & Resch, 2000). However, investigators have noted a problem with mentor attrition (Meissen & Lounsbury, 1981). The purpose of the current study was twofold. First, we explored the relative importance of specific dimensions of perceived similarity (including similarity in attitudes, interests, race, and personality) as well as mentors' expectation-reality discrepancies in predicting mentors' expressed intention to remain in Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs. Second, we examined a model whereby interpersonal attraction and relationship quality served as mediators of these associations. …

Correlates Of Adherence With Transdermal Nicotine., Theodore Cooper, M. Debon, M. Stockton, T. Steenbergh, D. Sherrill-Mittleman, L. Jennings, R. Klesges

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Concurrent Validity Study Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, Brooke Wootton Tinsley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is critical for the depressive symptoms of adolescents to be recognized, evaluated, and treated. Depression can increase the risk for illness and interpersonal difficulties in the future and affect almost every aspect of an individual’s life. Self-report measures are often utilized to assess depression, and when these measures are able to effectively detect depression, diagnosis and treatment are expedited. In order to validate the usefulness and psychometric properties of a new self-report measure, existing measures are often used as one criterion by which to judge them. The present study explored concurrent and discriminant validity of a new self-report depression …

Correlates Of Adherence With Transdermal Nicotine., Theodore Cooper, M. Debon, M. Stockton, T. Steenbergh, D. Sherrill-Mittleman, L. Jennings, R. Klesges

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Psychology Of Terrorism, Randy Borum

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Patients’ Perceptions Of Memory Functioning Before And After Surgical Intervention To Treat Medically Refractory Epilepsy., Tara T. Lineweaver, R. I. Naugle, A. M. Cafaro, W. Bingaman, H. O. Lüders

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Purpose:One risk associated with epilepsy surgery is memory loss, but perhaps more important is how patients perceive changes in their memories. This longitudinal study evaluated changes in memory self-reports and investigated how self-reports relate to changes on objective memory measures in temporal or extratemporal epilepsy patients who underwent surgery.

Methods: Objective memory (Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised) and subjective memory self-reports (Memory Assessment Clinics Self-Rating Scale) were individually assessed for 136 patients ∼6 months before and 6 months after surgery. A measure of depressive affect (Beck Depression Inventory–2nd Edition) was used to control variance attributable to emotional distress.

Results: Despite a …

Evaluation Of Youth In The Juvenile Justice System, Randy Borum, Randy Otto

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

The relationship between forensic clinical psychology and the juvenile courts and juvenile justice system is a special one. Psychologists and other mental health professionals have been involved in the juvenile courts since their inception a little over 100 years ago, and some commentators have offered that forensic psychology can trace its roots to psychologists’ involvement in juvenile matters (Otto & Heilbrun, 2002). In this chapter, after providing an overview of the juvenile justice system and its history, we review a number of clinical issues critical to understanding adolescents and their involvement in the juvenile justice system, and we finish with …

Comparisons Among Parent Reports And Self-Reports Of Sleep In Adhd And Normal School-Aged Children, Diana M. Turner-Eadie

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The objective of the study was to investigate whether school-aged children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience greater sleep disturbance than do normally-developing children. Participants included 33 parents and their children with ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.7 years) and 33 parents and their children without ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.6 years). Both parents and their children completed sleep questionnaires developed to assess a number of sleep variables. Based on parental report, the Total Sleep Disturbance score was significantly greater for the ADHD group than for the comparison group. Parents indicated that children with ADHD had …

The Relationship Among Disclosure, Internalized Homophobia, Religiosity, And Psychological Well-Being In A Lesbian Population, Sharon Lyn Clayman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship among disclosure, internalized homophobia, and religiosity in a lesbian population and how these three variables are related to psychological well-being in order to build upon the scant amount of empirical research on these variables in the lesbian psychological literature. A total of 679 women, 18 to 70 years old, and from all across the country were recruited via the internet to participate in a web-based survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (Szymanski & Chung, 2001), the Outness Inventory (Mohr & Fassinger, 2000), the Behavioral Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (Carroll & Gilroy, 2000), …

An Examination Of Explanatory Models, Coping Methods, And Help-Seeking Methods Among Individuals With Social Phobia, Brooke Jasmine Dibello

Masters Theses

In this pilot study, explanatory models, coping methods, and help seeking behaviors among individuals with social phobia were explored using in-depth interviews. Participants were ten female college students with probable social phobia. Researchers created a coding manual to investigate the qualitative data by organizing it into categories. Coders were trained to utilize the coding manual, which explored several factors such as name for social anxiety, explanatory models, perceived level of severity, coping methods, and appraisals of coping methods. Contributions of this study are a semi-structured help-seeking interview, coding manual, and rich data. Although the results were inconclusive, this study provides …

Gender And Ethnic Biases In Personality Disorder Diagnostic Criteria, Danna Frantz

Masters Theses

The present study examined gender biases, ethnic biases, and interaction effects within the DSM-IV-TR Clusters A and B Personality Disorder (PD) criteria. One of the principal controversies of the DSM-IV-TR involves the diagnosis of PDs. The diagnostic criteria have been considered to be subjective, making PDs hard to diagnose, yet easy to misdiagnose. In Phase I, examination of Cluster B PDs, there were 89 female and 31 male participants and in Phase II, examination of Cluster A PDs, there were 60 females and 60 males from introductory psychology courses. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and viewed a PowerPoint presentation depicting …

The Relationship Between College Year And Depressive Symptoms For University Students, Erik Michael Levinson

Masters Theses

The goal of the present study was to examine how gender and grade level relate to depressive symptoms in a sample of university students. Based on previous research, it was expected that students in their first year of college would report more depressive symptoms than nonfreshmen, women would report more depression than men, and that female students in their first year of college would have the highest scores on a depression inventory. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, 1979) was completed by 131 freshmen and 114 nonfreshmen at a Midwestern university. The final sample included 188 women and 57 men, …

Life Care Plans : A Resource For Caregivers, Carolyn E. Rutherford

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Life Care Plans have been used since the early 70s, primarily to assist in litigation involving catastrophic illness or injury. In the last decade Life Care Plans have become an important component in the field of litigation and rehabilitation. However, to date no studies have explored the impact having a Life Care Plan may have for the family Caregiver. Literature supports the need Caregivers have for detailed and concise information about their loved one's condition, plan of care and future needs. This study investigated the perceived helpfulness of the Life Care Plan to Caregivers. Using a 5-point Likert Scale, Caregivers …

Development And Validation Of The Impediments To Change Scale - Educational Version : A Study Of Children And Adolescents With Emotional Disturbance, Ray W. Christner

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study reviewed the development of the Impediments to Change Scale: Educational Version and evaluated its use with children and adolescents identified as having an Emotional Disturbance (ED) according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The investigator examined the scale's internal consistency and conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify indices related to “impediments of change.” The objective for the Impediments to Change Scale: Educational Version is to offer a clinically useful instrument to assist in identifying risk factors that impede a student's progress in his or her educational program. Pending future research, this tool has the potential …

Psychometric Study Of The Mahan And Ditomasso Anger Scale (Mad-As) In An Outpatient Cardiac Sample, Kimberly S. D'Andrea

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Psychometric evaluation of the Mahan and DiTomasso Anger Survey (MAD-AS) analysis in an outpatient cardiac population is herein described. The MAD-AS is a newer instrument that measures the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of anger and is beneficial in that it is brief. One hundred fifty cardiac outpatients and one hundred fifty non-cardiac dental patients were administered a demographic form that requested information about cardiac risk factors, the MAD-AS, and the STAXI-2, a widely used valid and reliable measure of state and trait constructs of anger. The MAD-AS factor structure, construct validity, internal consistency, and reliability were examined and found …

Development And Validation Of A Scale Of Perceived Control Across Multiple Domains, Beth Arburn Davis

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The importance of perceived control in people's lives is vast. Indeed, there is much research to support the notion that the perception of control is as important, if not more important, than actual control. This idea can be instrumental in therapy. Patients may have a sense of control in one area, but not in another, and this may cause problems for them. It is likely that an understanding of how much control they believe they have could help patients in therapy. This study outlined the historical and research aspects of the constructs of control and of perceived control, its general …

Psychometric Development And Validation Of The Zahn-Given Recovery Beliefs Questionnaire In An Adult Psychiatric Sample, Dennis R. Given

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Zahn-Given Recovery Beliefs Questionnaire (RBQ). The RBQ is a formal measure designed to assess specific underlying beliefs and expectations that relate to treatment non-adherence and recidivism in adult psychiatric patients. A total of 100 subjects were administered the RBQ, the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS); included as well are self and clinician-rated compliance with treatment measures. Factor analysis of the RBQ reveals a factor structure that includes four factors: Embarrassment/ Stigma, Unrealistic Optimism, Hopelessness/ Pessimism and Concerns About Side Effects. A total scale alpha reliability …