Psychology Commons^™

A Systematic Review And Psychometric Evaluation Of Self-Report Measures For Hoarding Disorder, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer Krafft, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Background: Hoarding disorder (HD) affects approximately 2.5% of the general population, leads to significant distress and impairment, and is notoriously difficult to treat. The crux of developing effective treatments for HD is our ability to reliably and validly measure relevant constructs in HD to better understand its presentation and, subsequently, formulate appropriate interventions.

Methods: We identified measures specific to HD and evaluated their psychometric properties using rating criteria formulated by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) group.

Results: The 17 included measures were developed to assess adult and pediatric hoarding severity, functional impairment, and maladaptive …

Is Perfectionism Always Unhealthy? Examining The Moderating Effects Of Psychological Flexibility And Self-Compassion, Clarissa W. Ong, Eric B. Lee, Julie M. Petersen, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Objectives: Perfectionism is generally associated with worse mental health outcomes, though evidence suggests elements of it might be helpful. In light of these findings, we examined whether psychological skills like psychological flexibility and self-compassion moderated the relationship between perfectionism and wellbeing (i.e., quality of life, symptom impairment, and psychological distress).

Methods: Undergraduate students (N= 677) completed self-report measures.

Results: A latent profile analysis identified three perfectionism groups (low, average, high) based on four perfectionism subscales: concern over mistakes, need for approval, rumination, and striving for excellence. Generally, we found that psychological flexibility and/or self-compassion buffered the impact of average and …

An Open Trial Of Group Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (Act) With An Adjunctive Mobile App For Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Gad), Jennifer Krafft, Clarissa W. Ong, Carter H. Davis, Julie M. Petersen, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and debilitating condition. Effective treatments exist, but they are time-and resource-intensive. This study tested the initial efficacy and acceptability of a novel treatment protocol designed to increase efficiency: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) taught in groups and through an adjunctive mobile app. Participants were 21 individuals with GAD who received six weeks of 2-hour group ACT sessions as well as access to an adjunctive ACT mobile app. Significant improvements occurred in worry, anxiety, social functioning, and depression as well as relevant processes (psychological inflexibility, anxiety-related cognitive fusion). In-the-moment improvements were also observed in …

Does The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire Measure More Than Frequency Of Negative Thoughts?, Jennifer Krafft, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Student Research

Cognitive fusion is a psychopathological process that appears to be relevant to a wide range of disorders. This process is frequently measured with the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ). However, the construct validity of similar measures has been criticized for substantial overlap with distress. It is possible the CFQ may excessively measure the presence of unwanted thoughts, rather than fusion per se. Therefore, this study examined the discriminant validity of the CFQ relative to a measure of automatic negative thoughts (the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) in a college student sample (n = 389). While the two measures were highly correlated (ρ …

Neural Efficiency And Spatial Task Difficulty: A Road Forward To Mapping Students' Neural Engagement In Spatial Cognition, Ariel W. Snowden, Christopher M. Warren, Wade H. Goodridge, Ning Fang

Psychology Student Research

The current study examined the neural correlates of spatial rotation in eight engineering undergraduates. Mastering engineering graphics requires students to mentally visualize in 3D and mentally rotate parts when developing 2D drawings. Students’ spatial rotation skills play a significant role in learning and mastering engineering graphics. Traditionally, the assessment of students’ spatial skills involves no measurements of neural activity during student performance of spatial rotation tasks. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural activity while students performed the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R). The two main objectives were to 1) determine whether high versus low …

Weight-Related Psychological Inflexibility As A Mediator Between Weight Self-Stigma And Health-Related Outcomes, Julie M. Petersen, Carrie Durward, Michael Levin

Psychology Student Research

Weight self-stigma, the internalization of negative societal stereotypes, is a problem amongst populations with high weight. Weight self-stigma is associated with psychological inflexibility and maladaptive health-related behaviors. In this study, we explore how weight-related psychological inflexibility may influence weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes in 79 adults with high weight. Participants were primarily white (92.4%) and female (82.3%), with an average age of 39.56 and average body mass index of 33.78. The present study uses baseline, self-report data from a larger trial. Results indicate that weight self-stigma was negatively correlated with maladaptive eating behaviors, weight, and mental health. Weight-related psychological inflexibility …

Mediating Factors Of Family Risk And Parent-Child Interaction Quality, Gable Munn

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Medium or high family risk is defined as having 2 or more risk factors as present in intake surveys in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP). Previous research has shown that high and medium risk families are more prone to negative parent-child interactions (Steele et al., 2016), but mediating variables are not clear. We hypothesize that parental stress and familial conflict are significant mediating variables between family risk and parent-child interaction quality. We also suspect that stress will have a more significant effect (Mak et al., 2020). The present study used extant data from the EHSREP (N=3001) …

A Closer Look At The Modern Bond Between Dogs And Humans, Mallory Colwell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

For this project, I wanted to take a closer look at a human's bond with their dog. This bond has been there for centuries, but recently has produced some distinct phenomenon. I believe that dog movies, dog birthdays, and dog social media showcase the modern human to dog relationship. Looking at these occurrences can give a better picture our bonds with our pets. It can also provide insight for ourselves as people.

Early Social-Emotional Development In Children Of Mothers With Psychological Risk, Haylie Demercy

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Healthy child development depends on the ability of parents to put in necessary involvement and attention to respond to children's emotions and communication cues (Roggman, 2016). Maternal depression (Paulson et al., 2006) and parenting stress (Coyl et al., 2002) can reduce maternal responsiveness and is a risk factor for negative child social-emotional outcomes (El-Sheikh et al., 2009). The purpose of this study is to investigate how participation in Early Head Start (EHS), an early intervention program that provides families with individualized intervention services, affects social-emotional development for children of mothers with high and low psychological risk. Extant longitudinal data from …

The Impacts Of Sars-Cov-2 On Student Mental Health And Academic Outcomes, Janice Snow

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In the spring 2020 semester, colleges and universities throughout the country made sudden shifts to online instruction due to SARS-CoV-2. Many institutions had as little as 1 weeks' notice and 64% of instructors reported having no online teaching experience (Johnson, Veletsianos, & Seaman, 2020). These educational adjustments are not the only added stressors for students and instructors. Additional stressors during the pandemic included health concerns for self and family members, childcare responsibilities increasing for individuals with families, financial instability, and finding accommodations for persons with disabilities. We conducted two separate but related surveys of undergraduate students during the end of …

What's The Difference Between Undergraduate Online Students And Face-To-Face Students?, Janice Snow

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Online education has been growing at increasing rates. Online higher education students increased from 21.4% of students taking at least one online class in 2007, to 32.5% of students in 2012 (Kentnor, 2015). To date, there is no available research regarding differential resources relating to distance and traditional students in traditional university settings, however, logic dictates that online students may not receive the same resources as traditional students (e.g., in-person computer labs, counseling services, additional student support offices). Meaningful interactions with faculty and peers, honors societies, clubs, research and service-learning opportunities, academic and logistical support are not commonly available to …

Perceptions Of Disabilities Among Native Americans Within The State Of Utah, Erica Ficklin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native Americans are diagnosed with disabilities at a significantly higher rate than the general American population. Due to cultural differences, other factors are likely impacting this difference in diagnosis rates. One possible factor is that Native Americans may have a different definition for ‘disability’ than the general American population. This study aimed to identify whether there is a difference in the definition for ‘disability’ and to learn about the current services available and what changes should be made to better serve Native Americans with disabilities. Native American participants were asked to share their experiences and thoughts about disabilities in sharing …

The Union Of Opposites: Carl Jung, Folklore, And The Caduceus And Ouroboros In Alchemy, Jack Daly

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis advocates for the use of Carl Jung’s psychoanalytic theory in folkloristics by examining the role of the caduceus and the ouroboros in alchemy as a case study. Although a Jungian lens has not been widely accepted by folklorists, it can and should be applied to folklore, particularly in the context of binary oppositions. Folklorists such as Alan Dundes have been harshly critical of this perspective. However, Dundes also stressed the importance of binaries in folklore. Furthermore, Dundes championed the theory of symbolic equivalences, and in my paper I argue that the caduceus and the ouroboros are examples of …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of Behavioral Skills Training On A Mindfulness-Based Protocol, Chealsy Darby

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This evaluation examined the effects of behavioral skills training on the correct implementation of a mindfulness-based protocol by direct support staff who provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in a community, residential setting. Participants included two direct support staff who provide services to two different adults with intellectual disabilities who have a mindfulness-based protocol as an intervention for problem behavior described in their behavior support plan. The participants were exposed to a behavioral skills training package and were required to demonstrate mastery criteria of the mindfulness-based protocol as part of their regular job duties. The results of this evaluation …

Modulation Of P3 And The Late Positive Potential Erp Components By Standard Stimulus Restorativeness And Naturalness, Salif P. Mahamane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tests of attention restoration theory (ART) consistently support that exposure to restorative environments can replenish finite cognitive resources, needed to focus attention, from a depleted state. These environments are usually natural, but the dimensions of naturalness and restorativeness are not one and the same, and yet have not been empirically delineated. The restorative effect has been documented in children and adults. However, neuroscientists have barely begun to test for neural correlates of ART. In this dissertation, I employ electroencephalography (EEG) to record electrophysiological brain activity during an active visual oddball task to capture and analyze p3 elicitation and late positive …

Nicotine And Alcohol Interactions, Charles C. J. Frye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Charles C.J. Frye, a graduate student in the Behavior Analysis program at Utah State University, completed this dissertation as part of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology.

Alcohol and Nicotine are the two most commonly abused drugs in the United States, often used at the same time. The goal of the dissertation was to more fully understand how exposure to one drug alters motivation for the other. In Chapter I, we investigated how exposure to nicotine affects relapse for alcohol in rats. Nicotine did not affect relapse for alcohol, possibly due to the method of …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Adverse Childhood Experiences And Health Outcomes In Adulthood, Sallie Mack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to many negative physical and mental health disorders in adulthood. Many individuals in the United States have ACEs, and rates are higher among people of color. Less is known about how to prevent these physical and mental health disorders and symptoms for individuals with ACEs. Five different factors may help in intervening on the negative effects of ACEs. These include: mental wellness, healthy relationships, physical activity, sleep and nutrition (Burke Harris, 2018). This study investigated how these factors influence health in adulthood for individuals with ACEs. The current researcher used data from the …

Comparison Of Public Mental Health Stigma In Youth, Desiree A. Clarke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study looked at mental health stigma in youth. Mental health stigma is devaluing, disgracing and disfavoring individuals with mental illness. Participants aged 11-14 completed a measure to rate their stigmatizing beliefs toward peers with either ADHD, depression, or asthma. Their ratings were compared for significance between genders and for the three different conditions: ADHD, depression, and asthma. Significant differences were found between the stigma ratings for asthma, depression and ADHD. ADHD had significantly higher stigma ratings than asthma, and depression had significantly higher stigma ratings than ADHD (on some, but not all, areas rated) and had consistently higher …

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In South Korea, Woolee An

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although psychologists have emphasized the importance of considering clients’ various cultural backgrounds and researching various populations, research is still overly focused on participants from English-speaking countries like the United States and Western countries. Numerous studies evaluating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been published in South Korea. However, most of the studies are still unknown to English-speaking research communities because of language differences. In order to promote cross-cultural communication of study findings, the current study reviewed treatment research from South Korea.

After searching for Korean ACT studies using Korean electronic databases, 62 studies were selected, and each study’s treatment outcome …

Effects Of Effort Training On Effort-Based Impulsive Choice, Sara Peck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Because impulsive decision-making is correlated with many maladaptive tendencies, researchers have increasingly studied methods for reducing impulsive choice. Most research in this area has focused on reducing delay-based impulsive choice, as measured by choices between smaller, immediate or larger, delayed rewards. A second type of impulsive choice is selecting a smaller, less-effortful reward over a larger, more-effortful one. Little nonhuman research has examined experimental methods for reducing effort-based impulsive choice. Within the realm of delay-based impulsive choice, extended exposure to reinforcer delays has proven effective in reducing impulsive choices in rats. The current study took a similar tac by evaluating …

First Responder Mental Health, Kira Swensen, Timothy Keady, Maren Wright Voss

All Current Publications

Communities spend thousands of dollars on first responders to protect them physically: body armor for law enforcement officers, heat resistant gear for firefighters, gloves and reflective clothing for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel. Supporting and investing in programs related to first responders’ mental health is equally important in keeping their minds safe. First responders train long hours each year to stay prepared for almost any situation. In the past, training has centered around physical safety and job efficiency. In recent years, efforts have been made to include mental health training and reduce the stigma associated with mental health for first …

Using Video Modeling To Teach Staff How To Implement Preference Assessments, Megan Weaver

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Identification of reinforcers through preference assessments for individuals with disabilities is an important task because it increases the probability of skill development, including academic tasks, self-help skills, social skills, and behavior modification. Teachers of students with disabilities often experience problems with training paraprofessionals to implement preference assessments using written instructions alone. In this study, researchers will investigate whether video modeling will be more effective than written instruction to staff to implement preference assessments. Participants will include three to five paraprofessionals in a classroom setting with no previous behavior analysis training on preference assessments and three to five students in a …

Gratitude In Adolescents: Examining The Role Of Attachment, Parental Gratitude, And Discounting, Savannah C. Rupp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

From early childhood, parents often teach their children to use their manners by saying "Thank you"; however, are there any benefits from experiencing gratitude during youth? Understanding the relationship between gratitude and other areas, such as happiness and decision-making, can potentially help researchers in planning interventions for youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between gratitude and decision-making in youth, as well as the role of maternal gratitude and the mother-child attachment in determining gratitude in youth. Two hundred four participants (102 mothers, 102 adolescents) completed an online survey. Mothers and adolescents completed two gratitude questionnaires …

Impacts Of Racial Microaggressions On White American And Ethnic Minority Students In The College Classroom, Lesther A. Papa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The racial and ethnic makeup of college is becoming more diverse as the general trend heads towards more bachelor's degrees being conferred to ethnic minority students. However, ethnic minority students often experience racial and ethnic microaggressions (REMAs) on campus either in the classroom or in the dorms. REMAs are subtle, chronic, and negative verbal and nonverbal exchanges that communicate hostility, degradation, or dismissiveness towards a member of an ethnic minority group. From the literature, REMAs have been found to impact both White and ethnic minority students and both White and ethnic minority professors commit microaggressions towards student of color. In …

Temporal Bisection Dynamics, Mahdi Shafiei

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Temporal bisection is a behavioral task used to study how we perceive time. However, it is not fully clear how time perception should be interpreted in different variations of this task. Moreover, it is not understood why the results of this task are often different for human and animal subjects. Understanding parameters of this task and making a connection between human and animal experiments may help researchers to understand how time is perceived in the brain and consequently disorders involving time perception.

In this thesis, I propose a computational model that A) provides researchers with a framework to study the …

Rumination And Quality Of Life Among Northern Plains Indians, Devon S. Isaacs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native Americans (NAs) share unique risk factors for poor mental health. In response, mental health providers must address barriers to treatment while making the most of low resource situations. One way to increase usefulness of treatment is to address the mechanisms underlying multiple mental health disorders. Rumination is a style of thinking marked by repeated thoughts about distress and is well-recognized as a diagnostic factor for underlying disorders in the general population. Secondary data from the Mood Disorder Assessment Validation with Northern Plains Indians (NPI) pilot study was used to examine the relationship between rumination and anxiety, depression, and substance …

A Translational Examination Of Alternative-Response Discrimination Training And Resurgence, Kaitlyn O. Browning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders often engage in severe forms of problem behavior. Reward-based behavioral interventions are highly effective at reducing levels of problem behavior and teaching more appropriate and adaptive alternative behaviors. Despite successful reduction in problem behavior during treatment, problem behaviors are susceptible to reoccurrence or relapse. Resurgence is a type of behavioral relapse that is particularly relevant to the treatment of problem behavior and may occur following the worsening of conditions of a more recently learned alternative behavior. That is, if the rewards that were used to teach the alternative behavior are removed …

College Prescription Opioid Misuse: An Exploration Of Social Learning, Social Control, And Strain Theories, Julie Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prescription opioids, when used as medically intended, can be effective in pain management. However, the consequences and costs of widespread misuse of prescription opioids in the United States are cause for concern. Prescription opioids are related to increased risk of death and injury. Young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, have the highest rates of misuse nationally and within this age group, college students may be particularly at risk. In order to effectively curb the growing misuse of prescription opioids within college populations, we must have a better understanding of the factors that potentially lead to misuse.

This …

A Brief Online Acceptance And Commitment Training For Enhancing Outcomes Of A Cultural Competence Intervention, Elizabeth Tish Hicks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In an increasingly diverse and multicultural society, there is a pressing and practical need for interventions to help professionals improve their cultural competence. Cultural competence trainings that target psychological flexibility in addition to knowledge, awareness, and skills may produce more efficacious results. The current study will examined the utility of targeting psychological flexibility (the ability to maintain contact the present moment and current internal experiences and to choose contextually appropriate, values-consistent behaviors, regardless of what one’s internal experiences are) as a process to enhance the impact of a cultural competence intervention with an Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)-enhanced cultural competence …

Making A Decision On Ethical Decision-Making Models, Melanie K. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Those in the helping professions, like psychology, counseling, and social work, have numerous ethical guidelines and codes to dictate ethical behavior. These codes, while extensive, do not encompass all situations. When professionals find themselves in an ambiguous situation, it is called an ethical dilemma. Many of the professional organizations that create ethical codes also recommend the use of ethical decision-making models. Ethical decision-making models provide steps, or instructions, on how to make an ethical decision when presented with an ethical dilemma.

Little research has been done on ethical decision-making models, so it cannot be concluded that these models actually help …