Psychology Commons^™

Repetitive Behavior In Children With Down Syndrome: Functional Analysis And Intervention, Nicole Neil, Emily A. Jones

Education Publications

Children with Down syndrome frequently display repetitive behavior including unusual routines, rituals, and stereotypy. Literature on intervention for repetitive behavior in individuals with Down syndrome frequently includes aversive procedures and interventions not informed by functional assessments. We used an analogue functional analysis to evaluate reinforcers maintaining repetitive behavior in 3 children with Down syndrome. Following identification of automatic functions, we used an ABAB design and a multiple-baseline design to demonstrate the effectiveness of differential reinforcement of other behavior in reducing repetitive behavior. DRO was effective in decreasing repetitive behavior and, for one participant, repetitive behavior remained low at 1, 2, …

Direct And Indirect Forms Of Childhood Maltreatment And Nonsuicidal-Self-Injury Among Clinically-Referred Children And Youth, Jenna Armiento, Cloe Hamza, Shannon Stewart, Alan Leschied

Education Publications

Importance: Although exposure to direct forms of childhood maltreatment is among the most widely studied risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), research on NSSI has largely neglected the role of exposure to indirect forms of child maltreatment (i.e., exposure to intimate partner violence).

Objective: To address this gap in the literature, the present study examined associations among both direct and indirect forms of maltreatment and NSSI among clinically referred children and youth. It was expected that exposure to both forms of maltreatment would be associated with increased risk for NSSI engagement.

Design: Data was collected from September 2014 – August …

Burnout-Depression Overlap: A Study Of New Zealand Schoolteachers, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Mayor, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We examined the overlap of burnout with depression in a sample of 184 New Zealand schoolteachers. Burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated with each other (r = .73; disattenuated correlation: .82) and moderately correlated with dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. All the participants with high frequencies of burnout symptoms were identified as clinically depressed. Suicidal ideation was reported by 36% of those participants. Three groups of teachers emerged from a two-step cluster analysis: “low burnout-depression,” “medium burnout-depression,” and “high burnout-depression.” The correlation between the affective-cognitive and somatic symptoms of depression was similar in strength to the burnout-depression …

The Role Of Individual Character Strengths In Adolescent Academic Achievement And Risky School Behavior, Paul Deschamps

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adolescent achievement is a major developmental task in adolescence and reducing Risky School Behaviors is an important part of the process. Patterns of adolescent achievement and general development are the result of the cumulative process that includes a long history of experience and socialization in school, in the family, in the peer group, and in the community. This study is the first to expand understanding of these key interrelated but unique outcome variables of both Academic Achievement and risky School Behavior through examination of individual Character Strengths in the presence of other key intrapersonal and contextual variables from multiple systems …

Teen Perceptions Of Cell Phone And Internet Sexual Messaging: Trends And Predictors, David Gregg

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to propose and test a predictive model for high school sexting in order to better understand influences and characteristics that contribute most to one’s decision to sext. Sexting was defined as either sending or receiving photos, videos, or text messages that contained full nudity, partial nudity, sexual requests, or comments of a sexual nature. Rates and typical recipients of sexual content were also examined in this study. A sample of 314 high school students in an urban area of Southeast Michigan were surveyed. Males were found to more frequently report engaging in nearly …

Examining Level Of Differentation And Conflict Resolution Styles Used In Romantic Relationships And Implications For Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Amanda Kerbawy

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles utilized in romantic relationships, and implications for romantic relationship satisfaction. This study’s sample was composed of 189 participants, with 100 females and 89 males. The average participant age was 30.29. The setting for this study was a large Midwestern urban University. Findings suggested that there is an effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles used in romantic relationships, with a high level of differentiation being associated with the utilization of the integrating style. Implications for therapy are outlined.

Nebraskans Speak About Early Care And Education: Buffett Early Childhood Institute/Gallup Survey On Early Childhood Care And Education In Nebraska, Gallup, Inc.

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute/Gallup Survey on Early Childhood Care and Education in Nebraska demonstrates that the vast majority of Nebraskans recognize the importance of high-quality early care and education. However, Nebraskans also report its lack of availability and affordability across the state. Most Nebraskans agree that the state should make early care and education a higher priority than it currently is today. Results from this study are based on questionnaires completed by more than 7,100 Nebraska residents. Gallup conducted the survey in English and Spanish via mail in late August through September 2015. The following represent key findings from …

Person-Level Predictors Of Bullying And Bystander Behaviors Of Middle School Students, Todd Jason Dollar

Wayne State University Dissertations

This research examined the ways in which person-level factors (social goals, self-efficacy for defending, moral disengagement, and empathy) influence bullying and bystander experiences of middle school students. Participants (N = 207) in grades 6 to 8 (ages 11- to 15-years-old) who were enrolled in a suburban Public School Academy (i.e., charter school) middle school located in Southeastern Michigan completed a self-report questionnaire on one occasion. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed gender and grade differences in person-level factors. Gender differences were found for victimization. Females experienced significantly more social victimization than males. Multiple regression analyses revealed a synergistic effect for some, …

Identifying Supportive Education Practices For College Students With Psychological Disabilities, Lekeia Shari Sears

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with psychological disabilities who enter the post-secondary environment can struggle without proper support services. Faculty and staff members typically interact with their students as much as or more than any other post-secondary personnel. This project study explored faculty and staff members' knowledge of supportive education programs and their feelings about engaging/helping these students. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory for faculty and Rogers' humanistic approach to education, which supports the need for faculty involvement and training, this study explored whether faculty and staff members feel effective in addressing these issues with students. A qualitative case study design was employed to …

Master's Students' Self-Assessment Of Competency In Grief Education And Training In Cacrep-Accredited Counseling Programs, Jane Earline Wood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Counseling can promote positive outcomes for grieving clients by addressing personal loss and helping the client process their grief. However, a lack of understanding on the part of counselors of how people grieve may result in negative client outcomes such as psychological stress, poor health, or an increased risk of depression. Education and training in grief counseling can improve counselors' problem recognition and skills in treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to examine whether Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) master's degree counseling students view themselves as having been adequately trained in grief theories …

The Role Of Adult Attachment In International Students’ Acculturation Process, Miao Li

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

International students face a variety of challenges in their acculturation process. The acculturation process is a highly variable process that is influenced by the mediating and moderating effects of individual factors that exist prior to, or arise during, acculturation (Berry, 1997). Among the moderating personal factors existing prior to acculturation, adult attachment has received heightened attention as an important variable impacting the acculturation process and adaptation outcomes. Wang and Mallinckrodt (2006a) suggested that successful adaptation involves exploration of unfamiliar social situations that resemble the infants’ exploration of their physical surroundings. The acculturation process can be challenging and stressful because individuals …

The Mediating Role Of Cognitive Flexibility On The Relationship Between Cross-Race Interactions And Psychological Well-Being, Robert D. Cardom

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Counseling psychologists are tasked with understanding optimal psychological and cognitive functioning. Recent theoretical predictions (Crisp & Turner, 2011) and growing evidence suggest that cross-race interactions are important ways individuals might improve their cognitive and psychosocial functioning. However, the theoretical predictions from Crisp and Turner have not yet been tested in one model. Further, much of the empirical support for the theoretical predictions has been from studies using 1) undergraduate samples and 2) weak theory-measurement fit.

The present study used an online, community survey (N = 270) to test Crisp and Turner’s (2011) predictions that cognitive flexibility would mediate the …

The Green Classroom Initiative: Developing A Non-Formal Educational Resource To Promote Positive Youth Development In An Elementary School In The Central Valley Region Of Costa Rica., Marlee Cea

Capstone Collection

While Costa Rica is not the most under-developed country in Central America, it still experiences poverty and school drop outs on par with neighboring countries and some exceptional regions of the United States. The primary focus of this thesis is to discuss how the “Green Classroom” initiative, a Peace Corps Volunteer’s attempt to create sustainable change, is rooted in modern educational theories; and how they have influenced the organizations and practical methodologies used to engineer this project. A secondary focus is on the process the volunteer and vital project partners experienced to create a sustainable educational resource for a primary …

Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Clubhouse Organizational Structure And Employee Motivational Variables Of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment And Perceived Task Significance, Meghan Elizabeth Pace-Slot

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current study evaluated the role of clubhouse accreditation status on staff motivational variables of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and perceived task significance. In addition, of interest was the degree to which accreditation status predicted staff perception of clubhouse climate. Participants included 98 clubhouse employees (63 staff from Clubhouse International Accredited clubhouses and 35 from non-accredited clubhouses) from a variety of clubhouses across the United States. Results suggest that self-reported job satisfaction differs across accredited and non-accredited clubhouses, dependent upon the type of licensure staff have obtained. Organizational and individual level implications are explored with regard to better understanding employee …

Prudence And Persistence: Personality In Student Retention, Logan J. Michels

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Student retention is a concern for many higher education institutions and there are many techniques that can be used to increase student retention. Previous research has used student personality data to customize interventions aimed at increasing student success and retention. In this study, prudence levels of incoming students was assessed, and a customized email intervention was designed and administered to students with students having low prudence levels. A variety of outcome measures were used to assess the usefulness of the intervention, including GPA, academic and behavioral citations, and use of campus resources. Results indicate that prudence levels are positively related …

Psyc 287: Psychology Of Personality—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Maital Neta

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this portfolio, I am assessing student learning in a mid-level Psychology course, Psyc 287: Psychology of Personality. The course introduces students to the major theories of personality, and covers a wide array of topics intended to provide a broad overview of issues in the field. The course attracts a somewhat representative sample of UNL students, including non-majors, and therefore most are from Nebraska. The course is not a prerequisite to any other courses, but it could be a useful foundation course for students pursuing a career in psychology research, and it could also help people to consider issues related …

The Effect Of An Email Intervention Tailored To Highly Ambitious Students On University Retention, Lauren Bahls

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study sought to increase student retention through the use of email interventions tailored to a specific group of ambitious students as determined by the Hogan Personality Inventory. Previous literature shows the relationship between ambition, the similar constructs of work drive and achievement seeking, and positive academic outcomes such as higher GPA, higher ratio of credits earned to credits attempted and increased likelihood of returning to the same institution. Focusing on students who rated high on ambition according to the Hogan Personality Inventory, the treatment group received emails with activities that may be of interest to help them build their …

A Photographic Study On College Student Sense Of Belonging, Sean Sheptoski

Masters Theses

Finding one’s sense of belonging has the capability to serve as the tipping point between success in college, and failure. According to McMillian and Chavis (1996), sense of belonging can be defined as the sense of community that members feel when they are in an environment and around other members. A way to achieve premier sense of belonging is by the creation of a caring, supportive and welcoming environment within the university. This study was designed to focus on the importance campus space plays in the creation of sense of belonging. Using a qualitative approach known as photovoice, the researcher …

A Quantitative Examination Of Alcohol Consumption Motivation Between Fraternity And Non-Fraternity Men, Brinton B. Vincent

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in motivation between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. The researcher hypothesized that there would be no significant motivational factor to consume alcohol among the population and no significant difference between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. To better examine differences, a quantitative study was conducted by surveying the population of freshmen males at a mid-sized, Midwestern, 4-year, public institution. The Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) was used to measure four types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, external regulation, identified regulation, and amotivation. Out of the 58 participants, 48 surveys were usable (N = …

Program Evaluation Of The Wayne State University (Wsu) Transition To Independence Program (Tip), Dinah Ayna

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: A significant number of children in the US are placed in the child welfare system every year. Among the multiple negative outcomes associated with being in the foster care system is a wide academic achievement gap between foster students and the general population, as well as other disadvantaged groups (e.g. low income). Low academic achievement is particularly pronounced in college. The government and higher education institutions are recognizing these educational gaps and developing specialized programs to address the unique needs of foster students; however, the effectiveness of these programs remains unclear. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of …

The Association Of Internalized Stigmas, Culture-Specific Coping, And Depression In Gay And Bisexual Black Men, Duane Glen Khan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Gay and bisexual Black men experience higher lifetime depression rates than both White and Black heterosexual men. Some social stress researchers argued that this rate may be due to having two stigmatized minority identities and therefore being at greater risk. However, gay and bisexual Black men also experience lifetime depression rates significantly below White LGB people, suggesting resilience to depression for those with these intersecting identities, race and sexuality. This study attempted to address the debate between greater risk versus resilience in gay and bisexual Black men.

Predictive Validity Of Curriculum-Based Reading Measures For High-Stakes Outcome Assessments With Secondary Students Identified As Struggling Readers, Tierney Gifford

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools are used widely to assess students’ progress within different stages of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Despite the wide-spread use, little research has identified the efficacy of reading CBMs in predicting secondary student outcomes on high-stakes assessments. High-stakes assessments are being utilized to determine outcomes for not just students, but teachers, administrators, and districts. More research is needed to determine if reading CBMs are useful tools for the populations of struggling secondary readers. The current study was a secondary analysis of existing data, which attempted to gain an understanding of this through examining the predictive …

School Psychologists' Knowledge Of Adolescent Suicide Myths, Jaime Leigh Savoie

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Suicide is a significant public health problem in the United States and is currently the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-24. Due to the seriousness and pervasiveness of the problem of youth suicide, schools are being asked to take a prominent role in its prevention. School psychologists are one of the mental health professionals within schools that have an important role in school-based suicide prevention and intervention. However, there are many barriers to school-based suicide prevention, with myths about suicide being one of the most dangerous and significant barrier. The goal of the current study was to …

Burnout And Depression: Label-Related Stigma, Help-Seeking, And Syndrome Overlap, Renzo Bianchi, Jay Verkuilen, Romain Brisson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We investigated whether burnout and depression differed in terms of public stigma and help-seeking attitudes and behaviors. Secondarily, we examined the overlap of burnout and depressive symptoms. A total of 1046 French schoolteachers responded to an Internet survey in November–December 2015. The survey included measures of public stigma, help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, burnout and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, neuroticism, extraversion, history of anxiety or depressive disorder, social desirability, and sociodemographic variables.The burnout label appeared to be less stigmatizing than the depression label. In either case, however, fewer than 1% of the participants exhibited stigma scores signaling agreement with the proposed …

Paradigm Shift: Sex Education, Mary Grayson-Pattar

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

With LGBTQ+ topics added to sex education at a young age, kids will learn that these topics are normal and cause a significant drop in bullying. Although some might say adding this would worsen the issue, it would teach students and faculty to be more accepting of these topics, and more accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Schools in Lincoln Public Schools and Omaha Public Schools have both been challenged with this topic recently, and reacted to them in different ways. Overall, the main issue of this topic is the current paradigm of our peers.

Inclusive sex education in classrooms is a …

Graduate Bulletin, 2016-2017 (2016), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Defining Success For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Social Academic Behavior In General Education Secondary Classes, Elizabeth L.W. Mckenney, Catherine Stachniak, Jordan Albright, Jeremy Jewell, Julie Dorencz

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

An exploratory, observation-based study sought to strengthen understanding of the development of social communication skills that facilitate academic success, particularly within general education settings. Sixteen middle and high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), all of whom participated in at least one period per day of core academic instruction in a general education classroom, were observed over a period of one to three months each. Frequencies of five appropriate and three inappropriate social academic behaviors are described, in terms of their relative frequencies to one another, and their overall consistency over the course of observations. Students observed were more …

Love Of Place: The Metropolitan University Advantage: 2015 Cumu National Conference In Omaha, Joseph A. Allen, Kelly Prange, Deborah Smith-Howell, Sara Woods, B. J. Reed

Psychology Faculty Publications

The theme for the 2015 CUMU National Conference in Omaha, NE was “Love of Place: The Metropolitan University Advantage”. The 2015 theme celebrates key elements that establish the identity of metropolitan universities and CUMU as an organization. The theme recognizes the unique opportunities and benefits provided by metropolitan universities for students and communities. Metropolitan universities provide students with enriching educational experiences while contributing to building and strengthening the community. These enriched experiences also support faculty and staff growth as members of the university and community. The theme encouraged conference participants to explore new pedagogical approaches, strategies for sustaining meaningful partnerships, …

Application Of Visual Cues On 3d Dynamic Visualizations For Engineering Technology Students And Effects On Spatial Visualization Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Petros Katsioloudis, Vukica Jovanovic, Mildred Jones

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Several theorists believe that different types of visual cues influence cognition and behavior through learned associations; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was done to determine if there are significant positive effects of visual cues (color blue) and to identify if a positive increase in spatial visualization ability for students in engineering technology courses is observed. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the use of the specific visual cue (color blue) provides no statistically significant higher scores versus the treatment that did not utilize any visual cues.

Perspectives On The Use Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Related Mobile Apps: Results From A Survey Of Students And Professionals, Benjamin G. Pierce, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although mobile apps have proliferated as self-help or adjunctive therapy supports, scant research has explored their implementation among mental health practitioners. Little is known about uses and perceptions of mental health apps among applied practitioners, nor are agreed-upon criteria for evaluating and choosing apps available. The present survey study examined the uses and perceptions of mental health apps among 356 professionals and students familiar with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as indicated by being a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. The survey found that practitioners are interested in using ACT-related apps, but that use of and familiarity …