Psychology Commons^™

Counselors’ Training Needs In Effectively Engaging With Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, Elif Bor

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

As public and scientific interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) continues to grow, counselors are increasingly encountering clients who are exploring or engaging in psychedelic use for therapeutic purposes. Such encounters introduce new ethical, clinical, and professional considerations. Counselors must develop an informed understanding of psychedelics and their effects, recognize the emotional and cognitive processes that may emerge during psychedelic experiences, and be prepared to respond to potential risks or adverse reactions (Aicher et al., 2025). They also need to competently answer client questions, assess risk and suitability, facilitate the integration of psychedelic experiences, and collaborate with medical and other professionals …

The Effects Of Sexual Orientation Stereotype Information And Prejudice On False Memories, Source Monitoring Errors, And Social Categorization Judgments, Julia Belen Strickland Nunez

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Minoritized groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, receive many harmful and destructive stereotypes from others. These negative views affect minorities because when people are recalling a memory, they fill in the gaps with general information that they know. When the schematic information is not accurate, people tend to remember information that was not originally presented; this is known as a false memory. When people accurately recall a memory, but not the source of the memory, it is known as a source monitoring error.

The current study investigated whether stereotype-consistent information leads to more false memories and source monitoring errors as …

Examining The Relationships Between Apathy Subdomains, Heart Rate Variability And Cognitive Performance, Yasmin Bahai Nabulsi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Apathy, defined as a reduction in motivation and goal-directed behavior, is a multidimensional neuropsychiatric syndrome encompassing behavioral, executive, and emotional components. Although heart rate variability (HRV) has been linked to depression and executive functioning, its relationship with apathy remains unexplored. The present study examined associations between apathy subtypes, resting HRV, HR and HRV reactivity, and cognitive performance. A sample of 116 healthy young adults completed self-reported measures of apathy, depression, fatigue, reward sensitivity, and attentional control. Electrocardiography (ECG) was used to assess resting HRV, followed by continuous recording during cognitive tasks, which included the Digit Span Test and a verbal …

Retention During Turbulent Times Of Higher Education: Modeling Intent To Leave Academia For Research University Faculty, Jordan Monroe Ball

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

University faculty operate as the lifeblood of any institution given that their job requires a “double duty” to develop both scholarly research and student minds. Due in large part to these expectations, research shows a long history of poor mental health for faculty, which ultimately results in faculty turnover. One model of faculty work motivation (Padilla et al., 2023) details the way in which the faculty work environment influences their mental health, and subsequently informs their job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to leave academia, which serves as a proxy for turnover. Retention related issues have not been a pressing …

Exploring The Experiences Of Women In Mental Health Therapy After The Occurrence Of Perinatal Loss, Courtney Allison Nishnick

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Perinatal loss encompasses losses of pregnancies at any gestational age, as well as deaths occurring within one year post-birth. In the United States, around 40 thousand stillbirths and infant deaths occur every year (Ely & Driscoll, 2025; Gregory et al., 2025), with about 23 million miscarriages also occurring annually worldwide (Quenby et al., 2021). Perinatal loss experiences lead to distressing mental health symptoms not limited to anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and grief (Crockett et al., 2019; Wamser & Ferro, 2025). While there is extensive research on perinatal loss as it pertains to medical context, there is minimal research relating to …

Switches And Witches: Exploring The Relationships Between Religious Struggles, Spiritual Beliefs, And Well-Being, Emma J. Trierweiler

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the mechanisms between interpersonal and doubt-related struggles and well-being outcomes in a formerly religious sample. The focus of this dissertation was to analyze the mediating roles of disengagement from God and perceived social support. Approach toward God was also examined as a control but not specified to be connected to the well-being outcomes given the emphasis on formerly religious individuals’ experiences. This was a retrospective study, where participants were asked to consider their responses as they relate to the time they were pulling away from religion. Three measures of well-being were explored using structural equation modeling. Positive …

Relating Profiles Of Mental Health And Psychosocial Stressors To Health-Harming Behaviors Among College Students: Differences Across Race And High-Effort Coping, Rachel Ayala Guzman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Black Americans experience disproportionately poorer physical health outcomes than White Americans despite often reporting comparable or better mental health, a phenomenon known as the Black–White mental health paradox. High-effort coping (HEC), a culturally relevant coping style characterized by working harder in the face of adversity, has been proposed as a potential factor underlying this paradox. However, little is known about how HEC relates to mental distress and health-harming behaviors among college students, a population at elevated risk for both mental health issues and health-harming behaviors. This study used a person-centered approach to examine profiles of mental distress and psychosocial stressors …

Drinking Group Injunctive Norms: An Event-Level Examination, Karolina Kazlauskaite

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

College students are at increased risk for negative alcohol-related outcomes. Theoretical and empirical support suggest that peer groups play a crucial role in college student alcohol use, in part because they establish normative values and behaviors (i.e., norms) that members follow. Research indicates that those who identify more strongly with a group are more likely to embody that group’s values—particularly regarding drinking. Notably, injunctive norms, or perceptions of peer permissibility toward drinking, predict individual drinking outcomes, such that perceiving one’s peers as more approving confers additional risk for personal drinking. However, prior examinations of injunctive norms have not assessed perceptions …

From Invisible Injury To Measurable Impact: Exploring Associations Between Peripheral Biomarkers Of Neuroinflammation And Mental Health Outcomes After Mtbi, Lauren Leggett Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), often referred to as a “silent epidemic,” accounts for the majority of traumatic brain injuries worldwide and is increasingly linked to persistent psychiatric outcomes. Despite its prevalence, mTBI remains understudied due to diagnostic challenges, underreporting, and misperceptions of its clinical significance. The present study examined whether peripheral biomarkers of neuroinflammation and astroglial injury—tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)— mediate associations between mTBI history and psychiatric symptom severity, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants were 138 traumaexposed adults recruited from an urban university and surrounding community, with …

Phishing Restraint: University Simulated Phishing Campaigns, Alexander M. Abou Khir

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Universities face heightened vulnerability to phishing attacks due to their open information-sharing culture and diverse user populations. This study examines how phishing exploits human factors within campus environments and evaluates three major training strategies: embedded phishing, microlearning, and role-based instruction to understand their individual and combined effectiveness. I explored studies that implement these strategies in pairs and use the strategies alone, identified trends in susceptibility reduction, behavioral reinforcement, and contextual relevance. I suggest that, while each method independently improves user awareness, multiple approaches offer stronger, more adaptable protection by addressing both psychological triggers and role-specific risks. The paper contributes a …

The Psychology Behind Ai-Generated Phishing And Social Engineering Attacks, A’Shya Reynolds

School of Cybersecurity Master's Level Projects and Papers

Cybercrime has evolved significantly with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), transforming traditional phishing and social engineering attacks into highly sophisticated and personalized threats. While early phishing attempts relied on generic messaging and low success rates, modern AI-driven attacks leverage advanced data analytics, natural language processing, and behavioral prediction to manipulate victims more effectively.

This research examines how cybercriminals utilize AI to enhance psychological manipulation techniques in phishing and social engineering attacks, increasing victim susceptibility. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature in cybersecurity and psychology, this study explores key psychological mechanisms, including cognitive biases, emotional triggers, and decision-making processes that influence victim …

The Effects Of Covid 19 Job Demands On Public Sector Employees’ Organizational Commitment: The Mediating Roles Of Work Engagement And Job Burnout, And The Moderating Role Of Supervisor Support, Benjamin R. Kaufman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

United States citizens rely on state government employees to provide essential public services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these employees responded by administering both routine and novel procedures to protect public health, often placing them on the frontlines and at increased risk of contagion. Concurrently, the pandemic-driven economic downturn created budget shortfalls that threatened the job and financial security of the state workforce. Together, these conditions substantially increased job demands for state government employees.

Guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JDR) Model, this study examined how COVID‑19-related job demands influenced state employees’ work engagement, job burnout, and organizational commitment, and whether supervisor …

Early Parenting Stress And Later Abuse Risk: Dyadic Mediation By Maternal And Paternal Negative Attributions, Jewelian N. Fairchild

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Parenting stress and negative parental attributions are key contributors to child abuse risk. Early parenting stress may increase a parent’s risk of negatively appraising their child’s behaviors, which, in turn, may influence their likelihood of harsh or abusive parenting. Grounded in Social Information Processing (SIP) Theory, the present study explored how these processes evolve over time and differ between mothers and fathers. Specifically, this study investigated whether parental negative attributions mediated the relationship between early parenting stress and later abuse risk. A sample of 203 first-time mothers and 151 of their male partners were recruited prenatally as part of a …

Exploring System Wide Trust And Dependency Behavior Within An Aviation Environment, Austin Jackson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the theory of system-wide trust within the context of a multi-tasking aviation environment. Previous research suggested that unreliable automation can negatively affect a human operator’s trust in reliable automation within the same system (Rice & Geels-Blair, 2010). However, previous studies have not looked at how trust develops in the context of a multi-tasking environment, nor how different types of errors may affect trust in and the use behavior of automation. The current study employed a 2 x 2 mixed design with drone reliability (60% reliable vs 90% reliable) and error bias (false alarm vs. miss errors) …

Bug-In-Ear ECoaching To Enhance Parents' Use Of Embedded Learning Opportunities With Preschool-Age Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aeshah Alturki

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has heightened the need for effective communication interventions. Parents are key partners in intervention and, with appropriate support, can serve as effective intervention agents. However, parents often require ongoing support to implement evidence-based practices. The purpose of this study was to experimentally evaluate the effects of online Bug-in-Ear (BIE) eCoaching on parents’ fidelity of embedded choice-making during family routines with their preschool-aged children with ASD. This study also examined the generalization and maintenance, children’s communicative responses, and parents’ perceptions of the intervention. A single-subject nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across two parent–child dyads …

Behavioral, System, And Informational Cyberattacks: A Human-In-The-Loop Driving Simulator Experiment, Samuel Petkac

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Advanced technologies such as sensors and AI/ML algorithms have enabled increasing levels of automated driving system that detects, responds, and even predicts changes in a driving environment supported by wireless connectivity to nearby vehicles and infrastructure. Such connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can be particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks targeting not only infotainment systems but also firmware and other applications, critically compromising driver safety. As we anticipate a “mixed” traffic where vehicles with various levels of automated technologies share the road for the foreseeable future, it is urgent to systematically examine types of possible cyberattacks and control human behaviors in such …

Effects Of Cross-Language Instructional Design On Foreign Language Learners' Cognitive Load: Approaching The Redundancy Principle Of Multimedia Learning, Leonor Mendiola Adams

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Because conceptualizations of cognitive resources play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of instructional design (Greeno, 2011; Greeno et al., 1996; Mayer, 2011, 2019), this study explores the effects of cross-language instructional design on learners’ perceived intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load content corresponding to content complexity, instructional presentation demands, and depth of understanding and schema construction, respectively.

Grounded in the redundancy principle of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, this research further investigates whether the principle operates differently when learners’ native language is strategically incorporated into foreign language learning contexts. According to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, …

Extending The Job Demands-Resource Model In Classified Work Environments: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Job Demands, Resources, Job Satisfaction, And Retention Among Engineers, Gregory Gooden

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model is a widely used framework for understanding how work conditions influence employee attitudes and retention-related outcomes. However, empirical evidence testing JD-R dynamics in classified technical work environments remains limited, particularly using longitudinal designs that account for structural constraints, nonrandom participation, and outcome-specific measurement challenges. Classified work is characterized by persistent demands, restricted flexibility, and security-driven limitations on available resources, raising questions about whether and how JD-R processes generalize to this context.

This study examines whether job demands and job resources predict subsequent job satisfaction and retention intent in a classified technical workforce using multi-wave longitudinal …

Ptsd Symptoms And Cannabis Use Among College Students: Examining The Role Of Trauma-Related Cannabis Use To Cope, Christopher T. Latourrette

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more than four times as likely to develop cannabis use disorder (CUD) as those without PTSD. This common co-occurrence is often interpreted through a self-medication framework in which cannabis is used to manage PTSD symptoms. Prior work has relied heavily on veteran samples, includes measures of cannabis coping that are not specific to PTSD, and has most commonly examined total PTSD symptom severity, limiting precision in understanding how discrete symptom clusters relate to cannabis outcomes. The present study sought to examine associations between individual PTSD symptom clusters and cannabis use severity and to …

Herding Cats: The Behavioral Foundations Of Successful Multi-Sector Partnerships, Paul B. Olsen

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Multi-sector partnerships (MSPs) are problem-solving groups composed of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private firms, community groups, and individuals. These partnerships have often struggled to achieve consistent success, with performance rates estimated at 30%–50%, largely because MSPs are tailored to the specific interests, resources, and implementation contexts of the constellation of stakeholders involved in each project. This situation raised important questions regarding how MSP performance can be predicted and whether the likelihood of success can be enhanced during the early planning stages of partnership formation.

Social value orientation (SVO) is a behavioral public administration theory that may help explain variation in …

Objectification And Discrimination Among Bi+ Women: Body Image Outcomes And The Moderating Role Of Relationship Type And Partner Gender, Kaitlyn E. Ryan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Objectification theory posits that being sexually objectified by others leads to a greater likelihood of engaging in body surveillance behaviors, which in turn is associated with higher body shame (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Prior research has identified both objectification and anti-bisexual discrimination as significant predictors of body surveillance and body shame among bi+ women (i.e., bisexual, pansexual, queer) (Brewster et al., 2014; Salim et al., 2024). No studies, however, have considered the unique experiences of romantically partnered bi+ women, including the potential moderating effects of partner gender and relationship type. The present study examined whether romantic relationships are protective for …

Personality Predictors Of Cybersecurity Vulnerability: Insights From Self-Reports And Stimulated Threat Scenarios, Saroja Roy Grandhi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In this cyber dependent and enabled era, understanding the role of human factors in digital security is essential. This study investigates the relationship between Big-Five personality traits and cybersecurity behaviors by examining both self-reported and stimulated behaviors in security threat scenarios. Participants completed validated questionnaires to report their personality traits, cybersecurity practices and engage in task-based stimulations to capture behaviors such as phishing detection, password creation, and response to security alerts. The study tested whether higher conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness would be associated with stronger cybersecurity practices and smaller discrepancies between self-reported and observed behaviors. And, whether greater extraversion and …

Perceptions Of The Community Eligibility Provision (Cep) Program, Angela H. Napier

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how educators and families perceive and experience the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and its influence on student attendance, engagement, well-being, and school climate within one public school division. While prior research has established quantitative links between universal meal programs and academic outcomes, limited research has explored how stakeholders interpret and experience these effects in practice. Addressing this gap, this study employed a convergent mixed-methods design, integrating archival attendance data, surveys, and semi-structured interviews with principals, assistant principals, teachers and families. Quantitative findings revealed modest but inconsistent changes in absenteeism following the CEP implementation, while qualitative findings provided …

An Examination Of Resilience And Food And Alcohol Disturbance: How Black & White Women Measure Up, Jaye I. Brayboy, Alicia M. Moulder, Audrey L. Bell, Melissa N. Manning, Cathy L. Lau-Barraco

The Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) combines dieting behaviors and alcohol use for alcohol enhancement (AE-FAD) or calorie compensation (CC-FAD). Though unclear whether racial differences exist in FAD engagement, research suggests strong ethnic identity protects Black Americans from FAD while strengthening risk in White Americans. Resilience (i.e., the ability to recover from adversity) is positively associated with body image amongst Black women; however, resilience has not been examined in relation to FAD. This study evaluated whether associations between resilience and FAD differed by race amongst college women, hypothesizing that resilience would be negatively associated with AE-FAD and CC-FAD for Black and …

Pong Revised: Network-Based Competitions Through Secure Socket Services, Noah T. Jennings, Destiny D. Hale, Jared D. Williams, Michael J. Lively-Scholz

The Knowledge and Creativity Expo

We aim to provide a safe, thrilling, locally hosted, and educational multiplayer experience that can be quickly replicated in modern Capture The Flag (CTF) events.

Existential Isolation As A Barrier To Veteran Employment Satisfaction: Implications For Workplace Reintegration, Caleb Blanchard

The Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Veterans’ reintegration into civilian society often involves recurring problems, particularly within workplaces. More specifically, 40% of veterans report that transitioning into civilian life is much harder than expected, and 80% report that other non-veterans do not understand their problems. Recent work also finds that veterans report feeling more existentially isolated (i.e., the perception that other people do not understand their experiences or worldview) than non-veterans, which may underly these issues with effective reintegration. In this longitudinal study, we examine whether reducing these feelings of existential isolation through “I-sharing” (i.e., the perception of sharing a subjective experience with another person) in …

The Living Lab: Instructional Design Interventions To Improve Communication And Equity In Federal Housing Programs, Joana I. Camp

The Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Living Lab is an independent applied research project informed by my 25 years of lived experience as a Section 8 voucher holder, examining how instructional design strategies can improve administrative workflows, communication, and equitable access within the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Drawing on sustained participation, the research identifies two primary systemic barriers: the federally mandated 15-day inspection period and incomplete Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packets. To address these issues, the project developed the RFTA Roadmap—a zero-cost, clarity-driven communication tool that embeds sequential instructions directly within procedural workflows, mitigating the Split-Attention Effect and cognitive “Bandwidth Tax” associated with standard …

Personality Traits In Criminals, Ravinesh Prasad Jr

The Knowledge and Creativity Expo

It's a poster that shows research done to show personality traits that are in criminals. The studies show how criminals differ from civilians. It also goes into the flaws of the studies and how they could be done better. The information is present on the poster, but I also add more context and answer questions people have. The point is to just share interesting studies and what they found. This study shows that correlation doesn't equal causation.

The Phoenix Trauma Response Model (Ptrm): An Integrative And Innovative Approach To Trauma Recovery And Growth, Latesha S. Holloman, Lauren B. Robins, Tammie Willis, Courtney V. Morris

Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration

Trauma is increasingly understood as a developmentally consequential experience that shapes identity, regulation, and relational functioning across the lifespan. Although trauma-informed care, resilience theory, posttraumatic growth, and narrative approaches have expanded understanding of recovery, few frameworks articulate a structured developmental progression that integrates prevention, intervention, and intergenerational transformation within a unified model. The Phoenix Trauma Response Model (PTRM) addresses this gap by introducing a cyclical, phase-based framework organized around four interrelated processes: Recognition, Reframing, Reclamation, and Replication of Strength. Central to the model is the construct of conversion potential, defined as the structured capacity to translate distress into purposeful …

Bridging Theory And Self-Development In Human Services And Counselor Education, Kristy Carlisle

Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration

Counselor and human services education increasingly recognize self-awareness as a core component of professional competence and ethical practice. This conceptual manuscript presents a pedagogical framework that integrates major helping theories as tools for structured self-reflection and self-development among students and practitioners. Drawing from experiential learning theory, reflective practice, and models of counselor identity formation, the approach encourages learners to view themselves through theoretical lenses such as person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, and existential frameworks, paralleling the very lenses through which they will view their clients in practice. By engaging in guided reflective activities, students examine personal beliefs, emotions, and behaviors to enhance self-understanding, …