Psychology Commons^™

Behavioral Couple Therapy: Partner-Involved Treatment For Substance-Abusing Women, William Fals-Stewart, Wendy K.K. Lam, Michelle L. Kelley

Psychology Faculty Publications

Among the various psychosocial interventions presently available to treat alcohol and drug abuse, it could be argued that partner-involved treatments are the most broadly efficacious. There is not only substantial empirical support for the use of couple-based treatments in terms of improvements in primary targeted outcomes, such as substance use and relationship adjustment, but also in other areas that are of clear public health significance, including intimate partner violence (IPV), children's adjustment, and cost-benefit ratio and cost-effectiveness. During the last few decades, programmatic research on the application of partner-involved therapies for substance abuse has been among the most active and …

Alchoholism And Intimate Partner Violence: Effects On Children's Psychosocial Adjustment, Keith Klostermann, Michelle L. Kelley

Psychology Faculty Publications

It is widely recognized that alcoholism and relationship violence often have serious consequences for adults; however, children living with alcoholic parents are susceptible to the deleterious familial environments these caregivers frequently create. Given the prevalence of IPV among patients entering substance abuse treatment, coupled with the negative familial consequences associated with these types of behavior, this review explores what have been, to this point, two divergent lines of research: (a) the effects of parental alcoholism on children, and (b) the effects of children's exposure to intimate partner violence. In this article, the interrelationship between alcoholism and IPV is examined, with …

Female Perspectives Of Professional Identity And Success In The Counseling Field, Amanda C. Healey

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contextual and definitional qualities of professional identity as well as the perceptions of success as defined by female counseling professionals. The ideals and beliefs related to professional identity were examined in order to determine if they are upheld by females who practice as professional counselors, counseling doctoral students, and tenure-track counselor educators. Findings indicated 16 themes that addressed issues related to personal and professional congruence and the counseling philosophy; particularly with regard to a conflict with the professional success model as it intersected with personal and professional roles. The information gathered …

The Relationship Between Stigma Consciousness And Variables Of Well-Being Among Foreign-Born Faculty Members, Sharnail D. Bazemore

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stigma consciousness and positive feelings toward the university, feelings of well-being, loneliness, and teaching effectiveness among foreign-born faculty members employed by American institutions of higher education. Participants included 162 foreign born faculty members who represented 12 urban East coast universities. Participants completed a series of online questionnaires that assessed levels of stigma consciousness, feelings toward the university, self-esteem, well-being, loneliness, and self-perceived teaching effectiveness. We hypothesized that stigma consciousness would contribute unique variance to positive feelings toward the university, feelings of well-being, loneliness, and teaching effectiveness. Four hierarchical regression …

Measuring Self-Disclosure Over The Internet, David Pope

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A two-axial measure of disclosure intimacy by Morton (1976, 1978) was expanded to create a new measure usable for linear analyses. Morton's item of "Description" was divided into three "Context" items: Self-Concept, Interpersonal, and Taboo. The other axis of "Evaluation" was divided into four "Expression" items: Detail, Protected, Intensity, and Negativity/Vulnerability. As test data for the measure, demographic information from l50 users' weblogs was compared to free-response disclosures measured with the Morton measure and the linear Context/Expression measure. A multiple regression analysis of profile information versus disclosure intimacy did not reach significance. Results were inconclusive because the measures used in …

Achievement Motivation In African American College Students, April Michelle Muldrow

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between academic performance and stereotype threat (ST), achievement motivation, and racial socialization for African American (AA) students at an historically black university. Participants were 108 students randomly assigned to high or low ST condition. Students completed a performance measure, Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), and Teenager Experience of Racial Socialization Scale (TERS) (Sedlacek, 2004; Stevenson et al., 2002). Results indicated that performance was not dependent upon threat, p = .63. Appreciation of AA culture was negatively associated with performance, p = .05. Drive toward academic self-development was positively related to performance, p = .05. Limitations and implications …

Examining Neurophysiological Evidence Of Age-Related Interactions Of Sensory And Cognitive Processes During Speech Processing, Cady Kristen Block

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study sought to examine the contribution of sensory and cognitive factors on speech processing as evidenced by ERP measures and to find support for the Sensory Cognitive Interaction Theory (SCIT) and the Effortfulness Hypothesis in that older adults. who experience sensory deficits with normal aging. must put forth increased effort during early sensory stages of speech processing that may compromise subsequent semantic performance and recall of information. In the present investigation. younger and older adults performed a sentence verification task at low and high presentation levels (PL). Accuracy and response time to sentence verifications were assessed along with …

The Effects Of Display Complexity And Cueing On Monitoring Maternal Fetal Heart Rate Signals, Brittany L. Anderson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of display complexity and cueing predictability on vigilance performance and measures of subjective stress and workload while monitoring maternal fetal heart rate (MFHR) signals. Seventy-two undergraduate students from Old Dominion University performed a simulated MFHR task and were randomly assigned to monitor one, two, or four displays for critical signals. Half of the participants received cues that were 83% reliable, and the other half received cues that were 55% reliable. Stress and workload were assessed before and after the vigil. It was hypothesized that detection ability would be lower, and the decrement would become …

The Relationship Between Valuing Diversity And Implicit Racial Bias: A Construct Validation Study, Rebekka Althouse Gordon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two studies examined the construct validity of valuing diversity in relation to both explicit and implicit racial bias. In the first study, participants completed three measures: the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale to measure valuing diversity; the Implicit Association Test to assess implicit racial bias; and the Symbolic Racism 2000 Scale to assess explicit racial bias. Results indicated there was a significant relationship between the valuing diversity and implicit racial bias measures as well as between the valuing diversity and explicit racial bias measures. The explicit and implicit racial bias measures accounted for unique variance in the valuing diversity construct. There was …

Gender Differences In The Romantic Commitment Of Swingers: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, Rachel A. Vedder

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research examined whether gender differences in romantic commitment among a swing population are mediated by sexual permissiveness. This study also served as an update to past literature and further exploration into swing culture by using qualitative data„such as examining reasons for entering and leaving swinging, level of involvement in the lifestyle, and safe sex practices. Researchers have found significant correlations between gender and commitment (Cupach & Meets, 1995; Duffy & Rusbult,1985-1986), gender and sexual permissiveness (Hong,1991; LaBeff & Dodder, 1982; Oliver & Hyde, 1993), and sexual permissiveness and commitment (Oliver & Sedikides, 1992; Yela, 2000). However, the role that …

The Impact Of Collective Animosity And Collective Guilt On The Judgments Of And Preferences For Japanese Products, Amro Maher

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Collective animosity and its effects on consumers' perceptions of and preferences for foreign products from the perpetrators' country of origin has received considerable attention in the marketing literature (Ettenson and Klein 2005; Klein, Ettenson and Morris 1998; Klein 2002; Nijseen and Douglas 2005). Collective animosity however is only one possible emotion that might be experienced towards other groups (Smith 1993; Smith 1999; Mackie, Devos and Smith 2000). Collective guilt is one of these possible emotions that have received considerable attention in the social psychology literature. Collective guilt refers to the distress that one might feel due to moral transgressions performed …

The Line In The Sand: Understanding Customer Sexual Harassment Through A Psychological Contract Framework, Valerie J. Morganson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that customer sexual harassment (CSH) is a frequently occurring phenomenon and an apparent barrier to the career development of women (Gettman & Gelfand, 2007; Morganson & Major, 2008). The current study applies psychological contract theory toward understanding how CSH leads to adverse outcomes, which affect individuals and organizations. A sample of 420 working women including both students and full-time non-student workers from various organizations were recruited to participate in this online study. CSH and perceptions of employer obligation did not interact to predict psychological contract breach. As hypothesized, psychological contract breach and CSH interacted to predict affective …

The Relationships Among Religiosity Spirituality Sexual Attitudes Sexual Permissiveness And Sexual Behavior In A College Population, Brandi Colter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research examined the relationships among religiosity, spirituality, sexual attitudes, and the sexual behavior of college students. Research has shown correlations among religiosity, spirituality and sexual attitudes (e.g., Chilman, 1983; Werner-Wilson & Jay, 1998; Zelnik & Shah, 1981), religiosity, spirituality and sexual behavior (e.g. Scott, Munson, McMillen, & Ollie, 2006; Thornton & Cambum, 1989), and among sexual attitudes and sexual behavior (e.g. Buss & Barnes, 1986; Hendrick et al., 1985). However, the role that sexual attitudes may play as a mediator between the constructs ofreligiosity, spirituality, and sexual behaviors had yet to be examined. Fishbein and Ajzen's (1980) theory of …

Directed Forgetting Of Live Motion Events: An Investigation Of A New Stimulus Set, Shawn Dickerson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Instructions to forget presented information are often given and it is necessary to further understand how those involved can be affected by what is called "directed forgetting". The purpose of the current study was to investigate if a video stimuli would produce directed forgetting using the list method and a recognition style test. In addition, viewing live motion events has been suggested to be a more relevant modality to examine directed forgetting and thus another purpose of the current study was to utilize video stimuli to create a more valid assessment of this phenomenon. Participants (N=181) were selected through the …

The Effect Of Task Instructions And Working Memory On Syllogistic Reasoning Performance, Clinton S. Comer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the predictions of existing theories of syllogistic reasoning performance as they relate to working memory. One-hundred and twenty undergraduate students from Old Dominion University completed a working memory span test and evaluated 92 conclusions for possible, multiple model syllogisms. Participants were randomly assigned to either a validity or possibility reasoning task. The mean syllogistic performance scores and mean reaction times were compared across the two groups. Working memory span scores were added as a covariate to determine if there were differences in working memory and performance correlations between the two groups. Analyses …

Chavs, Neds, Neets And Yobs: The Anti-Social Underclass Of The United Kingdom, Alexander Michael Marra

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This work is the result of the first look by an American into anti-social and yobbish behavior in the UK, and who's responsible for it. The delinquent subculture whose members are alternately either known as chavs or neds will be analyzed in detail. In addition, the NEET, the British government's designation for those who are not in employment, education, or training, will also be analyzed for the roots and reasons behind what may come to be known as the NEET generation in the UK in the years to come. For now they are sometimes called the ASBO generation because of …

Effect Of Household Structure On Family-Friendly Benefit Utilization: Implications For Organizational Attraction And Workplace Withdrawal Behaviors Of Federal Government Employees, Sharyn J. Aufenanger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of household structure on utilization of family-friendly benefits in organizations, as well as the impact that family-friendly benefit utilization has on organizational attraction and workplace withdrawal behaviors among Federal government employees with children. Results showed that alternative work arrangements (e.g., compressed and flexible schedules) were popular among all employees who have children. Family-friendly benefit utilization rates were highest among single parent employees and lowest among traditional family employees. Single parent employees were more likely to use flexible schedules, part-time, compressed schedules, telework, and sick and annual leave. Dual income employees were more likely to use …

Examination Of A Nomological Network Of Team Leadership: A Construct Validation Study, Kari R. Strobel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the construct-related validity evidence for team leadership measurement within the United States Navy. Drawing on literature from industrial/organizational, sport, and military psychology, the current research specified one nomological network for officer team leadership appraisal. The proposed model tested the idea that Naval team leaders engaging in transformational behaviors would be more likely to use and encourage the use of teamwork processes, increase cohesion among team members, and maintain superior mission readiness. The hypotheses were tested with performance appraisal data from 900 Commanders, Lieutenant Commanders, and Lieutenants from aviation, surface, and subsurface warfare communities. The relationships between the …

Abuse Behind The Badge Intimate Partner Violence And Child Abuse In Police Families, Denicia M. Veroza

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study analyzes the factors that may contribute to intimate partner violence and child abuse among police officers' families. Secondary data was obtained from the National Institute of Justice Data Resources Program, "Police Stress and Domestic Violence in Police Families in Baltimore, Maryland, 1997-1999u (Gershon 2000). Surveys were distributed to 1577 Baltimore Police officers. The sample size for this study was 886, which included only those officers who were married, had live-in partners, or were divorced/separated or widowed. From this sample, it was found that 7.9% of the Baltimore Police officers admitted to committing intimate partner violence and 8.4% admitted …

College Students Concern Toward Public Intoxication, Ashley N. Mason

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

A survey of college students was administered in order to better understand why students choose to either walk after consuming alcoholic beverages or drive after consuming alcoholic beverages. Students were asked to answer demographic questions along with opinion questions as well. The main variables used in this study were perceived severity of offense, perceived certainty of offense (i.e. level of concern about getting stopped), moral condemnation and punishment avoidance.

Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were examined to see what characteristics have an impact on students behavior regarding public intoxication. Although significant with one or both dependent variables, perceived severity, perceived …

Alarm Relevance And Reliability: Factors Affecting Pilots' Alarm Prioritization, Elizabeth T. Newlin

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of alarm reliability and relevance on pilots' trust. perceived relevance, alarm response frequency and time. Twenty pilots flew a simulated aircraft roundtrip from Dulles to Boston Logan and responded to 20 pressurization alarms. Alarm system reliability using two levels (60%, 80% true alarms) and system relevance with two levels (high at altitudes above 25,000 feet (ft) mean sea level (MSL), low below 25,000 ft MSL) were manipulated within groups. Results indicated participants perceived alarms above 25,000 ft MSL as more relevant and responded faster and more often to them. Participants …

The Effect Of Ethanol And Pfiesteria Toxins On Anxiety And Spontaneous Motor Activity In Rats, Juan Carlos Constantine

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Pfiesteria is associated with major fish kills in the Chesapeake Bay and the Albermarle-Pamlico sound and has also been associated with cognitive deficits in humans. This study consisted of two separate experiments. The first experiment was a near-replication of a previous study on anxiety in the elevated plus maze. The second study investigated the effect of ethanol on SMA in rats exposed to Pfiesteria toxins. Thirty-two rats were injected with either nontoxic water or toxic water taken from an aquarium containing active Pfiesteria shumwayae cultures and tested in the elevated plus maze. In the second experiment, ethanol (0, 600, 1200 …

Social-Cognitive Biases In Simulated Airline Luggage Screening, Jeremy R. Brown

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The study examined the role that social-cognitive biases play in decision making processes during airline luggage screening, Participants (n = 96) performed a computer simulated task where they tried to detect hidden weapons in 200 x-ray images of passenger luggage. Participants saw each luggage image for either two seconds (high time pressure) or six seconds (low time pressure). In addition, on each trial, participants observed the pictures of the "passenger" to whom the luggage purportedly belongs. The "pre-anchor group" answered questions about the passenger before the luggage image appears, the "post-anchor" group answered questions after the luggage appears, and the …

Reactive Attachment Disorder: Challenges For Early Identification And Intervention Within The Schools, Kimberly K. Floyd, Peggy Hester, Harold C. Griffin, Jeannie Golden, Lora Lee Smith Canter

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Attachment is of key importance in childhood development. The quality of attachment relationship between the child and parent/primary caregiver may have an effect on the child and future relationships and social success (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 1998). When a child fails to bond with a caring adult, attachment becomes disordered and children may not be able to bond appropriately or at all with other people. This inability to relate and connect with others may disrupt or arrest not only children's social development, but also their overall development. The purpose of this review is to synthesize information and research on characteristics, …

Hindsight Bias In Insight And Mathematical Problem Solving: Evidence Of Different Reconstruction Mechanisms For Metacognitive Versus Situational Judgments, Ivan K. Ash, Jennifer Wiley

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article presents two experiments that used insight and mathematical problems to investigate whether different factors would affect hindsight bias on metacognitive and situational judgments. In both studies, participants initially rated their likelihood of solving each problem within a certain amount of time (metacognitive judgments) and rated the importance of each component of the problem for finding the solution (situational judgments). Next, participants attempted to solve each problem. In Experiment 1, all participants were given solution feedback information, but in Experiment 2, participants were not given any solution feedback. After 1 week, participants were asked to recall their original judgments. …

The Relationships Among Age, Physical Activity, And Working Memory, Ellen M. Carpenter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As our population ages, determining exogenous factors that may offset cognitive decline become increasingly important. The primary goal of the present study was to determine whether older individuals who engage in regular physical activity demonstrate superior working memory performance relative to older sedentary individuals. Forty young (20 active, 20 sedentary) and forty older (20 active, 20 sedentary) individuals engaged in cognitive measures of information processing speed, inhibitory function, and verbal and visuospatial working memory. Age differences in recall were found for verbal and visuospatial span tasks, as well as for recall reaction time on verbal and visuospatial n-back tasks, and …

Effects Of Leader Relationship Quality (Lmx), Supervisor Support, And Upward Influence In National Science Foundation Industry /University Cooperative Research Centers, Janet L. Bryant

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) is a type of partnership between industries and universities supported by the National Science Foundation. These partnerships enable the transfer of leading-edge technology developed in universities to industrial firms. Leadership plays a powerful role in the success of these research partnerships by creating an environment that is conducive to innovation. Directors of I/UCRCs must be able to successfully lead upward, that is, develop and maintain strong relationships with the university administrators to whom they report, to obtain the necessary support to sustain the center and foster innovation. This study uses leader-member exchange (LMX) theory …

The Importance Of Gender And Readiness To Change In The Prediction Of Drinking And Negative Consequences Of First-Year Student Drinkers, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

College drinking is widespread, and binge drinkers can experience serious consequences. The present study examined the effectiveness of two interventions, expressive writing and behavioral monitoring, as well a combined condition, in reducing drinking and negative consequences associated with drinking. Gender differences and differences in readiness to change binge drinking were also assessed. Participants (N = 97) completed a pretest, eight weekly intervention activities, and a posttest during their first semester of college. An ANOVA tested the hypothesis that individuals higher in readiness to change binge drinking participated in more of the weekly intervention activities; this hypothesis was not supported. A …

Motivation And Performance In Computer Science: Test Of An Integrative Theory, Katherine A. Selgrade

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and empirically test a parsimonious integrative motivation theory. The theory integrates aspects of expectancy theory, social cognitive theory, goal-setting theory, and commitment theory. The theory was tested with 170 undergraduate, students in an introductory computer science (CS) course.

The study tested relationships among the following variables: CS self-efficacy, mathematics ability, affective commitment to the CS class, goal orientation, effort, and performance. The study also tested the interactive effects of effort and ability on performance. Structural equation modeling was used to test the measurement model and a series of nested structural models. Findings …

The Depiction Of Alcohol Tobacco And Other Substances In Children's G & Pg-Rated Animated Films Post 2000, Lindsay F. Graham

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study will analyze the depiction of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances in G and PG-rated animated films from November 1, 2000 to December 31, 2005. These films will include those released in theaters and video in English, at least 60 minutes in length, and of the animated genre during this five-year window. There is evidence that due to recent societal pressures facing the Motion Picture Association of America and their rating guidelines, the presence of alcohol and tobacco in children's animated Grated films has lessened. These incidents of exposure have since moved up the rating totem pole to receive …