Psychology Commons^™

Understanding The Effect Of Affective Context On Conflict Monitoring Through Erp And Behavioral Indices Of Cognitive Control, Amanda Holbrook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding cognitive control in response to conflict requires examining how control-related processes are modulated by affect. This study tested the negative-affective signaling hypothesis, which posits that negative affect elicited by conflict enhances cognitive control. Undergraduate participants (n=73) completed an affective-flanker task in which affective images preceded flanker stimuli. Cognitive control was indexed by the error-related negativity (ERN), conflict N2, response times (RTs), and accuracy, and late positive potential (LPP) to images indexed motivated attention. Across hypotheses, adding event-related potential (ERP) coupling terms did not improve the predictive accuracy of multilevel models, providing no evidence for the predicted trial-to-trial affect-control coupling. …

Considering Context In Latent Models Of Externalizing: Measurement Invariance By Environmental And Systemic Disadvantage In System-Involved Youth, Kendall D. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing forms of psychopathology are said to result from a general liability towards impulsive and disruptive behaviors, including substance use, conduct problems, aggression, and antisocial behavior (Krueger et al., 2021). While the field often focuses on dispositional explanations of externalizing behaviors, there is a notable lack of attention to the contextual factors that contribute to these behaviors, beyond immediate environmental influences. This study uses Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) as a framework to address such gaps in the context of behavioral indicators of the latent externalizing (EXT) construct, an analysis with implications for understanding racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. The present …

Book Review: Victim-Centred Peacemaking: Colombia’S Santos–Farc-Ep Peace Process, Patricia M. Rodriguez

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Psychiatric Symptom Severity And Performance Monitoring: Intraindividual Variability In Neural Responses And Behavioral Adjustments To Errors, Bohyun Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Performance monitoring is a cognitive process that involves evaluating one’s own performance and adjusting behavior accordingly. Atypical neural and behavioral indices of performance monitoring are commonly observed in individuals with psychopathology and have led to hypotheses that perturbed performance monitoring may contribute to functional impairment. However, neural and behavioral indices of performance monitoring are often examined in isolation, so it remains unclear how error-related neural activity relates to subsequent behavioral adaptation on a trial-by-trial basis, and whether this coupling varies across different levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The present study examined trial-level relationships between error monitoring event-related brain potentials …

Role Conflict And Burnout: How Can Employed Graduate Students Thrive, Not Just Survive?, Eric M. Douthirt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates several of the multifaceted challenges faced by employed graduate students, a growing demographic within U.S. higher education. Against a backdrop of intensifying technological change, evolving labor market dynamics, and increased educational attainment, these individuals encounter pronounced school-work-family conflict (SWFC), resulting in a heightened risk for personal burnout (PB).

Building upon the job demands-resources theory, this research explores whether school-work facilitation (SWF) and student emotional engagement (EE) might attenuate the deleterious relationship between school-work-family conflict (SWFC) and personal burnout (PB), with gender and number of children included as controls.

Data from 489 participants, collected via a single cross-sectional …

The Characterization Of Sleep Quality In Pediatric Cancer Survivors With Overweight/Obesity, Erin M. Brennan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in cancer treatment have improved survival rates among pediatric cancer survivors (PCS), shifting the focus toward long-term quality of life. Despite this progress, PCS remain at elevated risks of chronic health issues, including disrupted sleep and obesity. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sleep of PCS with overweight/obesity and to identify predictors of sleep quality. Guided by Merz and Tomfohr-Madsen’s (2018) conceptual framework for sleep disruption in children impacted by cancer, this secondary analysis of data examined disease parameters, family and environmental factors, and physical activity as potential predictors of sleep quality. Participants were enrolled between …

Separating Memory And Attention In Secondary Tasks, Anne Olsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Memory and attention are intricately intertwined throughout life. How these processes interact and effect the encoding process shows to be just as complex and intricate. A recent study by Sahakyan and Malmberg (2018) revealed that when cognitive resources are strained during encoding, long-established retrieval patterns in both recall and recognition alter. These patterns found were suggested to be the result of an altered mechanism in strengthening processes that eliminated trace strengthening when cognitive resources were strained. This work investigates those claims through a direct replication of the original experiment (Experiment 1) as well as investigating the components of the secondary …

From Past Pain To Present Unity The Role Of Trauma In Shaping Collective Identity Within Refugee Communities, Shahd Alasaly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I explore the social dimensions of trauma and resilience among Syrian refugees resettled in the United States. Drawing on in-depth interviews and focus group data collected at a resettlement center in Tampa, Florida, I aim to understand how displacement reshapes identity, disrupts traditional gender roles, changes social bonds, and how healing occurs within one’s community. I frame my work within Social Identity Theory, Identity Theory, and the sociology of trauma. My research highlights the gendered expressions of trauma, the transformation of masculinity under forced migration, and the role of spirituality in community healing.

This project includes three …

Exploring Perceived Parental Vulnerability In Pediatric Cancer Survivors: A Comparative Thematic Analysis Of English And Spanish-Speaking Families., Yusnavi Martinez Pineiro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how perceived parental vulnerability is expressed among parents of pediatric cancer survivors and explored potential differences between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families. Data were drawn from an existing ongoing clinical trial in the IHOPE lab of the University of South Florida, who collaborates with over 10 pediatric cancer survivorship clinics across the country. The study used a total of 26 (13 Spanish-speaking and 13 English-speaking) structured interview transcripts from parent participants. The transcripts were the first session with the parent participant, the interventionist spoke the parent’s preferred language (English or Spanish), perceived parental vulnerability was one of six …

The Dark Side Of Synchrony: Investigating Affective Valence As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Physiological Synchrony And Team Performance, Caroline N. Deal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Team processes are severely understudied, likely given their dynamic nature. Physiological synchrony (PS) may provide a solution, as PS provides a proximal, objective measure of team processes. PS is believed to develop through affect contagion, such that team members who catch each other’s emotions are more likely to physiologically synchronize. Extant research has found relationships between PS and performance; however, many questions remain regarding the nature, scope, and directionality of this relationship. I proposed that PS in the context of a positively valenced emotion would be beneficial to team performance, while PS characterized by a negatively valenced emotion would be …

Unskilled But Aware Of It: Understanding Self-Assessment By Estimating Guessing From Cognitive-Metacognitive Paired Measures, Edward Nuhfer, Steven Fleisher

Numeracy

We utilize concepts of numeracy including number sense, reading and interpreting graphs, basic probability and statistics, and reasoning to estimate guessing and verify our earlier findings on human self-assessment as replicable. Our field study employed a low-stakes paired measures assessment (11,229 scores from the validated Science Literacy Concept Inventory and postdicted global self-assessment ratings generated upon completion of the Inventory) in conjunction with a five-category taxonomy of self-assessment proficiency. We also simulated 11,229 random guessing responses, to model responses that disengaged, purely random-guessing participants should produce. At least 90% of participants sincerely engaged with the instruments of measure, self-assessed imperfectly …

A Multidimensional Perspective Of Patterns Of Functioning And Well-Being, Lendi Nicole Joy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality estimates that 79.4% of U.S. adults will remain free from mental illness each year, but this does not necessarily mean they will enjoy positive psychological health and well-being. Well-being has been associated with positive outcomes such as greater health, longevity, work productivity, and increased social engagement. Thus, it is important for researchers to understand factors contributing to the development of well-being and optimal functioning. The current study used latent profile analysis to classify individuals based on their levels of well-being at ages 23 to 26 years and explored functioning indexes assessed when …

Conflicting Social Information And Its Impact On Sentence Comprehension In Young Adults With Dld: An Eye Tracking Study, Ansley Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals must recognize linguistic and non-linguistic social cues to resolve contextual ambiguities in their conversations. When the linguistic and social cues match, sentence processing is facilitated. However, conflicts between linguistic and social stimuli (i.e., incongruency) can lead to prediction errors which slow sentence processing. Limited research has explored the social cognition conflict resolution skills in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) despite their documented emotion processing deficits. This study considers the role of social prediction processing in adults with DLD as they engage in a social cognition conflict resolution task.

Young adults with DLD (n=29) and typically developing (TD) peers …

Director, Military Cyber Institute, Joseph Schafer

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Throughput Of Ascon Compared With Popular Iot Encryption Algorithms, Mitchel R. Harvey (Ryan), Andrew M. Kaiser, Garrett W. Hoiness

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Anomaly Detection Of Network Layer Attacks Against Cyber Physical Systems Using Machine Learning And Deep Learning Techniques, James Alger, Michael Tu

Military Cyber Affairs

This research paper presents the analysis of using machine learning and deep learning algorithms on detecting anomalous network traffic in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Using a real PLC CPS-based system, normal and anomalous network traffic will be captured using Wireshark. The research analyzes a DDoS attack. The focus of the research is to identify the most effective feature combinations and evaluate them on ML and DL models. The emphasis is on enhancing detection strategies rather than exploiting device vulnerabilities. The detection of network attacks often involves handling a vast array of high-level features. Previous studies (Li & Chasaki, 2022) apply machine …

Characterizing Caldera’S Cyber Attack Emulation Capabilities, Caleb Chang, Matthew Cao, Kenyou Teoh, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

Autonomous cyber attack emulation can aid cyber defenders to identify and remediate cyber risks. MITRE’s Caldera software is the state-of-the-practice for automated attack emulation. Yet, it has not been systematically analyzed, putting its performance and effectiveness into question. This paper systematically characterizes Caldera’s architecture, abilities and use cases, and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. It draws useful insights, such as: Caldera excels in stealthy access and execution tactics to pilfer data against Windows operating systems. It also discusses two directions for Caldera improvement: module-level automation and end-to-end attack emulation.

The Digital Battlefield: Safeguarding Military Drones Against Cyberattacks, Jason Ashong, Arun Venkitanarayanan, Benjamin Yankson

Military Cyber Affairs

The Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) is an advanced network of interconnected devices that significantly enhance military operations through real-time data exchange and situational awareness. While IoBT offers tactical advantages like improved surveillance, reconnaissance, and operational effectiveness, it also introduces substantial cybersecurity risks. Adversaries can exploit vulnerabilities within these networks, potentially compromising mission integrity and national security. This research examines the cybersecurity measures of commercial drone controllers and their correlation with military devices. It aims to enhance future vulnerability assessments with advanced tools and approaches to better secure critical military operations. The study highlights the need for robust security architectures …

Using Blockchain Technology To Help Secure America's Defense Critical Infrastructure, Vimal Buck, Aerin Krebs, Brynn Hillard, Jakob Gerha, Joseph Lutma, Srikar Maduposu, Ted Allen

Military Cyber Affairs

Critical water infrastructure in the United States faces increasing cybersecurity threats from state-sponsored actors, with potentially devastating consequences for national security, economic stability, and public health. (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 2025). This infrastructure supports defense critical assets and is actively being targeted by various state-sponsored hacking groups, which poses a major concern for civilians and military alike. K. Herath (personal communication, February 24, 2025) reported being aware of two attacks on Ohio water systems during his tenure as Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Water is essential to everyday life and defense and presents as a high-value …

Network And Multipath Traceroute Visualization, Cameron Makowski

Military Cyber Affairs

TraceCam introduces a new paradigm in network path analysis, leveraging GPU-accelerated WebGL visualization, advanced traceroute integrations, and AI-driven insights to transform complex routing data into actionable intelligence. Early prototypes have demonstrated significant improvements in performance, clarity, and multi-path discovery, overcoming traditional limitations in traceroute analysis. By incorporating retrieval-augmented language models and enriched metadata sources like IPinfo.io, TraceCam enables automated anomaly detection, contextual explanations, and rapid root-cause analysis, enhancing operational efficiency. The platform’s architecture ensures scalability and adaptability, supporting deeper investigations and real-time situational awareness. Future development will focus on clustering-based anomaly detection, expanded geographic visualizations, and enhanced AI-generated analysis to …

Quantifying Adversary Military Forces’ Susceptibility To Cognitive Attacks, Bonnie Rushing, Cole Nelson, Shouhuai Xu, Christofer “Raven” O’Keefe, Olga Karpoyan

Military Cyber Affairs

This paper introduces a method to quantify international populations’ susceptibility to cyber cognitive attacks using press freedom and media trust metrics. We present the Cognitive Influence Calculator, a tool that estimates susceptibility (𝑆) based on Press Freedom Scores (PFS) and media trust levels. Findings show that while authoritarian regimes are harder to reach, successful cognitive attacks have greater impacts due to higher trust in state-controlled narratives. Using U.S. wargaming data and international trust metrics, we compute susceptibility scores for the U.S., Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Results show an inverse relationship between PFS and media susceptibility, with local/allied …

Forward, Amy Hamilton

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Understanding Russia’S Cyber Policies, Strategies, And Doctrines, Bryan Hancock, Hanh Nguyen, Olga Karpoyan, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

This study analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia’s cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines through a systematic set of attributes, leading to key insights: (i) Russia has proactively adapted its cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines to its evolving environment; (ii) Russia actively conducts cognitive warfare, but remains equally vulnerable to it; and (iii) Russia’s cyber posture faces significant challenges, including a limited technological base, shortage of skilled personnel, and restrictive approach to information control, all of which undermine the effectiveness of its strategies. These insights offer valuable implications for US Cyber Command and the Department of Defense.

Characterizing Cyberattacks Against Operational Technology Infrastructures Through The Lens Of Attack Flows, Sherman Kettner, Caleb Chang, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

Operational Technology (OT) infrastructures play a critical role in modern society and economy. However, their increasing connectivity with public networks such as the Internet has made them vulnerable to cyberattacks, much like traditional Information Technology (IT) systems. In particular, cyberattacks against OT infrastructures remain relatively underexplored and little understood. In this paper, we aim to deepen our understanding of cyberattacks against OT infrastructures. For this purpose, we propose a methodology, including novel cybersecurity metrics to analyze the attack flows of these attacks in an end-to-end fashion, which allows us to draw useful insights. We demonstrate the utility of the methodology …

Which Adolescents Benefit Most From Positive Psychology Interventions: Examining The Common Factors Of Therapeutic Change, Nicolette Bauermeister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature has found positive psychology interventions to be effective at improving the subjective well-being of youth (Tejada-Gallardo et al., 2020). Further research is needed to identify variables such as common factors of change that could be contributing to whether youth report improved outcomes after participating in a positive psychology intervention. This study examined common factors of therapeutic change as predictors for outcomes such as positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction, which are components of subjective well-being. This dissertation aimed to fill the gap in the literature regarding common factors of change as predictors of outcomes in school-based positive …

Sense Of Immortality As A Death Anxiety Buffer: An Investigation Through Awe, Sabrina J. Eisenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the emotion awe as protective against mortality salience by fulfilling sense of immortality – a proposed need created by mortality salience. Mortality salience has been shown to increase cultural worldview defense, which sometimes has detrimental social effects. This study aimed to test if inducing feelings of awe would reduce the need to rely on cultural worldview defense in response to mortality salience. The pilot study (N = 239) found evidence for a relationship between awe and sense of immortality. The primary study (N = 167) tested a main effect of mortality salience on cultural worldview defense (H1) …

An Application Of A Positive Psychology Intervention To Promote The Well-Being Of Children With Cancer, Jenna Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The psychological impact of pediatric cancer and cancer treatment is not well understood. Although there is evidence to suggest that pediatric cancer may negatively impact youth’s mental health and psychological functioning, other research suggests that the mental health of children with cancer is similar to that of healthy peers. Traditional psychological interventions have been used to reduce symptoms of psychopathology among children with cancer. However, less is known about the subjective well-being of children with cancer and evidence-based, positive psychology interventions to promote the subjective well-being of this population. Thus, this study sought to address this gap in the literature …

Adapting And Evaluating A Positive Psychology Intervention For Children With Cancer And Their Families, Camryn Legra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a mixed methods approach in two phases. The first phase entailed adapting an evidence-based positive psychology intervention—the Well-Being Promotion Program (WBPP; Suldo, 2016)— for children with pediatric cancer. The WBPP has mostly been provided to students at public schools, and to the researcher’s knowledge, has never been used for children with pediatric cancer. To make it culturally appropriate for this group of students, adaptations were made by collecting input and recommendations from a sample of two caregivers of children with pediatric cancer who participated in a focus group. A micro-interlocutor analysis (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2009) was completed …

Food For Thought: Binge Planning Cognitions And Behaviors Within An Online Sample Of Adults With Binge-Type Eating Disorders, Rose H. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has begun exploring the phenomenon of binge planning, wherein individuals who binge eat do so with forethought, rather than impulsively. What specific thought processes and behaviors comprise binge plans remains unexamined. How, or if, the eating disorder presentations of individuals who plan binges ahead of time differ from those who binge impulsively is also still unknown. The present study sought to explore the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors associated with binge planning, and to identify how the motivations, symptomologies, and personality traits (i.e., impulsivity) differ between binge eaters who do or do not plan their binges. An online study using …

Psychopathy, Emotion, And Mock Juror Decision-Making, Bailey A. Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that mock jurors impose harsher sentencing (including death sentencing) when defendants are described as psychopathic, but reasons for this are unclear. This preregistered study investigated the role of juror anger and cognitive biases (predecisional distortion [PDD]) in the relationship between defendant psychopathy descriptions and mock juror decision-making. In an online experiment, participants (undergraduates in a large Southeastern university [n=410] and a US Census-representative online sample [n=384]) reviewed case facts of a murder, were randomized to expert witness testimony of defendant psychopathy or control conditions and read the prosecution and defense arguments before sentencing the defendant to death or …