Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Acute Nicotine Abstinence On Vigilance And Verbal Memory In Non-Diagnosed Smokers, David W. Ayer

Dissertations

Research has shown a differential prevalence of smoking in the schizophrenic population compared to other psychiatric and non-diagnosed populations. The three most commonly investigated reasons for this differential prevalence in schizophrenics are: the self-medication hypothesis, side effects hypothesis, and sociological hypothesis. The self-medication hypothesis which proposes that schizophrenics smoke at a higher rate to ameliorate cognitive deficits is the most substantiated by the research. Of current interest is the possible role of nicotine in improving performance on vigilance and verbal memory, the two areas shown to be most related to impaired social functioning in schizophrenics. It is difficult to make …

Is It A European Car Or A Japanese Car? An Erp Study Of Diagnostic Information Use In Visual Expertise, Assaf Harel, Shlomo Bentin

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Phonological Facilitation Through Translation In A Bilingual Picture-Naming Task, Paul Amrhein, Aimee Knupsky

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We present a critical examination of phonological effects in a picture-word interference task. Using a methodology minimizing stimulus repetition, English/Spanish and Spanish/English bilinguals named pictures in either L1 or L2 (blocked contexts) or in both (mixed contexts) while ignoring word distractors in L1 or L2. Distractors were either phonologically related to the picture name (direct; FISH–fist), or related through translation to the picture name (TT; LEG–milk–leche), or they were unrelated (bear–peach). Results demonstrate robust activation of phonological representations by translation equivalents of word distractors. Although both direct and TT distractors facilitated naming, TT facilitation was more consistent in L2 naming …

The Effect Of Hemispace And Initial Scan Direction On A Forced-Choice Line Bisection Task: A Study Of Pseudoneglect, Yun Hee Choi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unilateral neglect refers to the symptom that patients with brain damage have, when they fail to respond and orient toward stimuli in the one side of space opposite to the damaged hemisphere. Since symptoms of visual neglect are more long lasting and severe in patients with damage in the right hemisphere than left, the right hemisphere has been considered to be involved visuo-spatial processes. When asked to mark the center of a horizontal line, patients with left neglect tended to place the mark too far to the right of the midpoint. A related phenomenon in normal individuals is pseudoneglect, in …

Social Influence Effects On Romantic Relationships Of College Students, Christine Mary Banach

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social influence is defined as "the influences that people have upon the beliefs and behavior of others" (Aronson, 2004, p. 5). A theoretical model that highlights the importance of social influence pressures and in particular, variability in response to these pressures is known as social identity theory. Social identity is defined as "that part of an individual's self-concept which derives from knowledge of membership of a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership" (Harris & Cameron, 2005, p. 159). The current study explored the potential importance of social groups, especially peers, on …

Quantifying The Cognitive, Symptomatic And Neuroendocrine Impact Of The Coriolis Illusion; A Countermeasure For Motion Sickness, Catherine Grandizio

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

When pilots are unable to accurately perceive the position and motion of their bodies, they are spatially disoriented. Spatial disorientation is often induced by aviation illusions, and its consequences include dizziness, confusion, nausea and fatigue. The present research evaluated the severity of cognitive, neuroendocrine and subjective symptoms of the Coriolis illusion, induced by a spatial disorientation flight training device. Also, the research examined the effectiveness of a mild, ground-based countermeasure, similar to the Coriolis illusion, in reducing the occurrence and severity of symptoms. In the early stages of data analysis, there appeared to be a significant impact of the Coriolis …

Female Sexual-Offenders: Personality Pathology As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse History And Sexual Abuse Perpetration Against Others, Kelly Ann Christopher, Catherine J. Lutz-Zois, Amanda R. Reinhardt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: The goal was to examine, in an all-female sample, possible mechanisms for the relationship between a history of childhood sexual abuse and the likelihood of perpetrating sexual abuse as an adult. It was hypothesized that Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder tendencies would mediate the relationship between these two forms of abuse.

Method: One hundred forty two female participants (61 sex-offenders and 81 non-sex offenders) were recruited from a women’s prison in the Midwest. The participants completed measures that included a childhood history of sexual abuse, socially desirable responding, primary and secondary psychopathy, and Borderline Personality Disorder tendencies.

Results: Participants …

Children's Use Of Race In Drawing Inferences Based On Their Understanding Of Race Constancy, Casey A. Dawson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children’s understanding of race constancy and their subsequent use of race as a means of drawing inductive inferences were investigated. Race constancy was determined by children’s tendency to say that people could change category membership by changing their outside appearance. A second phase of the study measured how many race-based inferences children made relative to other social categories such as age or sex. The results indicated that children who had a better understanding of race constancy were also more likely to use race as a means of drawing inductive inferences. These findings support a developmental progression of race constancy and …

The Effects Of Attachment Relationships On The Development Of Effects Of Empathy Or Depersonalization In Adolescence, John Lamanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research on attachment theory supports the notion that our early attachment relationships are integral to empathic development, and that early negative attachment relationships can promote depersonalization rather than empathy. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of separations from one’s primary caregiver(s) on the development of empathy or depersonalization in adolescence. Adolescents who have been separated from their biological parent(s) due to abuse and/or neglect were expected to differ on self-reported levels of empathy, dissociation, hostility, and depression when compared to adolescents who have not had such involuntary separations in their life. After performing descriptive, correlational, …

Effects Of Age On Contextually Mediated Associations In Paired Associate Learning, Jennifer Patricia Provyn

Psychology - Theses

Older adults demonstrate an associative memory deficit that has been attributed to difficulty binding item information to contextual information (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000). Accounts of temporally-defined episodic associations that depend upon contextual retrieval (TCM Howard & Kahana, 2002) predict that a deficit in item-to-context binding will result in fewer backward (b-a) and transitive (a-c) associations. To measure group differences in backward and transitive associations, younger and older participants learned single function lists of paired associates with no contextual overlap (e.g., j-k, l-m) and double-function lists of paired associates consisting of chains of pairs (e.g., a-b, b-c). Although younger adults out-performed older adults …

Perceived Desirability Of Given Names: Identifying A Relationship Between Given Names And Associated Personality Traits, Ellen D. Parks

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study was designed to determine whether participants would have better recall for names with phonetic properties that matched a paired personality trait. In other words, phonetically attractive names paired with positive traits and phonetically unattractive names paired with negative traits should have higher rates of recall than names whose phonetic properties did not match a paired personality trait, such as phonetically attractive names paired with negative traits or phonetically unattractive names paired with positive traits. Given names were deemed to be phonetically attractive or unattractive based on the number of sonorants (soft consonant sounds such as l, m, n, …

The Theory Of Planned Behavior: Predicting Physical Activity In Mexican American Children, Jeffrey J. Martin, Kimberly L. Oliver, Nate Mccaughtry

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Theoretically grounded research on the determinants of Mexican American children's physical activity and related psychosocial variables is scarce. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict Mexican American children's self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Children (N = 475, ages 9–12) completed questionnaires assessing the TPB constructs and MVPA. Multiple regression analyses provided moderate support for the ability of the TPB variables to predict MVPA as we accounted for between 8–9% of the variance in MVPA. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 45% of the …

Divisions Within The Posterior Parietal Cortex Help Touch Meet Vision, Catherine L. Reed

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

The parietal cortex is divided into two major functional regions: the anterior parietal cortex that includes primary somatosensory cortex, and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) that includes the rest of the parietal lobe. The PPC contains multiple representations of space. In Dijkerman and de Haan’s (see record 2007-13802-022) model, higher spatial representations are separate from PPC functions. This model should be developed further so that the functions of the somatosensory system are integrated with specific functions within the PPC and higher spatial representations. Through this further specification of the model, one can make better predictions regarding functional interactions between somatosensory …

Spatial Learning Deficit In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Discerning Place From Strategy Learning, Abigail Lashomb

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

HIV -1 infection is associated with a constellation of cognitive and motor deficits collectively termed HIV associated dementia. With the onset of HAART treatment, these cognitive effects have become more mild, but also more prevalent. The lack of a proper animal model to study these cognitive effects of HIV has lead to the development of a new transgenic rat. This rat expresses the HIV -1 genome with functional tat and gp 120 viral proteins. These proteins are linked with direct neural toxicity as well as the induction of cytokines and other indirect means of neuronal damage. As part of the …

It Is Not Worth Learning If It Is Not Remembered: Designing E-Learning To Increase Memory, Paula C. Engelbrecht, Tamas Makany, Katie Meadmore, Richard Dudley, Itiel E. Dror

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The collation, storage and retrieval of information are essential components of successful learning. Whether information is retained depends on a variety of factors, including how the information fits with an individual’s existing knowledge, the way in which information is presented, and its complexity. Some of these factors are under the direct control of the e-learning designers and developers. Investigating these factors and how they impact on memory is important and can enhance the quality of e-learning. Evidence from cognitive neuroscience suggests that information is stored in a semantically meaningful manner. It follows that e-learning technologies, which either mimic how knowledge …

Giving The Learners Control Of Navigation: Cognitive Gains And Losses, Tamas Makany, Paula C. Engelbrecht, Katie Meadmore, Richard Dudley, Edward S. Redhead, Itiel E. Dror

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

E-learning often involves exploration of the information space that is somewhat similar to the exploration of space in the real world. Initial paths taken in any environment (be it a physical, virtual, or any other type) will not only guide the discoveries of what the environment contains, but also formulate the underlying organising principles. The suggested route in an art gallery frequently presents artworks that are either chronological or conceptually tied together. Deviating from this –and taking a route of our own, if at all possible– might be either confusing or insightful. The structure of the information, and the control …

Maintenance Of Visual Stability In The Human Posterior Parietal Cortex, Erik Chang, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Visual stability refers to our stable visuospatial perceptions despite the unstable visual input caused by saccades. Functional neuroimaging results, studies on patients with posterior parietal cortex (PPC) lesions, and single-unit recordings in the lateral intraparietal sulcus of primates indirectly suggest that the PPC might be a potential locus of visual stability through its involvement with spatial remapping. Here we directly explored the role of the PPC in visual stability by applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while participants performed a perisaccadic displacement detection task. We show that TMS over the PPC but not a frontal control site alters sensitivity to displacement …

Bereavement In The Modern Western World, David San Filippo Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Bereavement is the process of suffering that follows the loss of a living being that is significant to someone. When one suffers, she or he has to endure an unpleasant experience, in the case of bereavement, the loss of something special to the person. This loss most often is a loved one but could also include the loss of a pet, relationship, or physical or mental capability. This state of suffering is called grief. In describing his grief, C. S. Lewis stated, after the loss of his wife, “No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. …

Second Language Acquisition From A Mcneillian Perspective, Gale Stam

Faculty Publications

Most second language acquisition research has concentrated on learners’ speech. This paper argues that it is necessary to look at both learners’ speech and gesture in order to better understand second language acquisition. It provides a summary of the second language acquisition process and the types of studies that have been conducted in the field. It discusses how gesture can be used to investigate learners’ thinking for speaking.

Reading Words In Spanish And English: Mapping Orthography To Phonology In Two Languages, Ana Schwartz, Judith Kroll, Michele Diaz

Selected Works Temporary Series

English-Spanish bilinguals named visually presented words aloud in each language. The words included cognates (e.g., fruit-fruta) and non-cognate translations, (e.g., pencil-lápiz). The cognates were selected so that the orthographic and phonological similarity of their lexical form in each language varied orthogonally. Cognate naming latencies were influenced by the cross-language match of the orthographic and phonological codes. When the orthographic forms were similar in the two languages, naming latencies were slowed by dissimilar phonology, providing evidence for feed-forward activation from orthography to phonology across languages. When the orthographic forms were dissimilar, the effects of the corresponding phonological match were not statistically …

Language Comprehension In Bilingual Speakers, Ana Schwartz, Judith Kroll

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Social And Behavioral Problems Of Children With Agenesis Of The Corpus Callosum, Denise Badaruddin, Glena Andrews, Sven Bolte, Kathryn Schilmoeller, Gary Schillmoeller, Lynn Paul, Warren Brown

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Archival data from a survey of parent observations was used to determine the prevalence of social and behavioral problems in children with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). Parent observations were surveyed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for 61 children with ACC who were selected from the archive based on criteria of motor development suggesting a relatively high general level of functioning. Younger children with ACC (ages 2–5) were rated as primarily having problems with sleep. Older children with ACC (ages 6–11) manifested problems in attention, social function, thought, and somatic complaints. The older children with ACC were also …

Language Comprehension In Bilingual Speakers, Ana Schwartz, Judith Kroll

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Reading Words In Spanish And English: Mapping Orthography To Phonology In Two Languages, Ana Schwartz, Judith Kroll, Michele Diaz

Departmental Papers (Psych)

English-Spanish bilinguals named visually presented words aloud in each language. The words included cognates (e.g., fruit-fruta) and non-cognate translations, (e.g., pencil-lápiz). The cognates were selected so that the orthographic and phonological similarity of their lexical form in each language varied orthogonally. Cognate naming latencies were influenced by the cross-language match of the orthographic and phonological codes. When the orthographic forms were similar in the two languages, naming latencies were slowed by dissimilar phonology, providing evidence for feed-forward activation from orthography to phonology across languages. When the orthographic forms were dissimilar, the effects of the corresponding phonological match were not statistically …

Decision Structuring In Important Real-Life Decisions, Kathleen M. Galotti

Cognitive Science Faculty Work

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Selfobject Needs And Parental Bonding, Sherry-Lee Smith

Theses : Honours

Self psychology proposes that the individual's early experience is central to adult psychological functioning. The purpose of this paper is to outline the key concepts in self psychology, the empirical evidence supporting it and how it relates to early parenting experiences. The enduring psychological nature of early interactions with an individual's parents, are discussed in relation to adult functioning. Self psychology is based on clinical observations of clients undertaking psychoanalysis. Empirical support for the model is limited. The majority of studies consider the concept of narcissism, and other related self psychological concepts, such as selfobject needs, are inadequate Although this …

The Role Of Meaning In Past-Tense Inflection: Evidence From Polysemy And Denominal Derivation, Shoba Bandi-Rao, Gregory L. Murphy

Publications and Research

Although English verbs can be either regular (walk-walked) or irregular (sing-sang), “denominal verbs” that are derived from nouns, such as the use of the verb ring derived from the noun a ring, take the regular form even if they are homophonous with an existing irregular verb: The soldiers ringed the city rather than *The soldiers rang the city. Is this regularization due to a semantic difference from the usual verb, or is it due to the application of the default rule, namely VERB + -ed suffix? To gain a new source of insight into …

An Investigation Of The Cliinical Utility Of The Sensory Profile, Laura Leigh Pizzano Smith

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Towards A Diagnostic Framework For Understanding Complex Situations, José J. Padilla, Andres Sousa-Poza, Arturo Tejada, Samuel Kovacic

VMASC Publications

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the concept of understanding and how it can be used for assessing complex situations. Understanding is presented as a cognitive process on how an individual perceives and represents a complex domain based on his/her own predispositions, and how he/she selects knowledge or what may not be knowledge based on the same predispositions towards finding a set of solutions for the situation. Predispositions, in this case, are based on his/her epistemological, ontological and teleological biases while the domain is represented by irreducible and transient conditions. The final outcome is the match or mismatch of …

Empathy And Cognitive Flexibility As Correlates Of Forgiveness, Rebecca Bennett Katovsich

Dissertations

Problem. For the past three decades, there has been a growing body of literature related to the topic of forgiveness. The idea that empathy, consisting of both emotional and cognitive aspects, plays an integral role in the process of forgiveness is widely supported in the literature, although there is limited empirical evidence for this claim. Beyond interest in examining the relationship between forgiveness and empathy, this research also aimed to explore the role of cognitive flexibility in the forgivenessprocess, considering both the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cognitive flexibility.

Method. The Enright Forgiveness Inventory, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the NEO …