Psychology Commons^™

Physically And Sexually Violent Juvenile Offenders: A Comparative Study Of Victimization History Variables, Monique R. Frazier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and compare physically and sexually violent juvenile offenders (PVJOs and SVJOs) to determine whether specific factors in their abuse histories, if present, tend to be associated with-the type of violent offense pattern they exhibit. The Youth Experiences and Behaviors Structured Interview (YEBSI)--an instrument which assesses for primary (victimization), secondary (witnessing), and perpetrated abuse of an emotional, physical, and sexual nature, by and/or toward family members, acquaintances, strangers, and animals--was developed by the primary researcher for use in this study. Thirty-six PVJOs and 30 SVJOs were interviewed. Results indicated that the YEBSI …

Predicting Lumbar Fusion Surgery Outcomes From Presurgical Patient Variables: The Utah Lumbar Fusion Outcome Study, M. Scott Deberard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lumbar fusion surgery is a commonly used procedure to treat severe spinal pathology and associated chronic disabling low back and leg pain. Despite the common incidence of spinal fusion surgery, few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of this procedure. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received lumbar fusion surgery in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. An archival prospective research design was utilized consisting of a retrospective medical chart review and a postsurgical telephone outcome survey.

Subjects were 203 workers' compensation patients from …

Childhood Choice Making Patterns As A Function Of Contingency Shaping Versus Instructional Control, Nathan Atkin Call

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The term contingency shaped refers to any response class governed by its direct consequences (Catania, 1973). In a theoretical paper on problem solving Skinner (1966) discriminated between contingency shaped and rule-governed behavior by stating that no matter how similar in form they may appear each have independent controlling variables and functional properties. In a later analysis (Skinner, 1974) he elaborated on rule-governed behavior by pointing out that one distinct form of rule-governed behavior is instruction following. An instructional episode, however, consists of more than any verbal or non-verbal statement of contingencies, but includes the consequences in question as well (Cerutti, …

Pretherapy Videotape Presentation For Eating Disorder Clients: Development And Evaluation, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. Earlier studies support the use of pretherapy training to help clients understand the tasks and challenges of therapy. However, a pretherapy intervention, such as showing prospective clients a video that outlines recovery issues and themes, had not yet been developed specifically for the prevalent, recalcitrant problem of eating disorders. Thus, of particular interest to clinicians who treat eating disorders may be the development of a theoretically sound, pretherapy videotape that outlines recovery issues.

One of the purposes of this study was to review prior investigations …

Analogical Problem Solving: The Differential Impact Of Type Of Training, Amount Of Practice, And Type Of Analogy On Spontaneous Transfer, Dune E. Ives

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on analogical problem solving has delineated several factors that impact one's ability to spontaneously generate a correct solution strategy to a target problem. These factors include, but are not limited to, type of analogy provided to subjects (i.e., partial versus complete), the level of analogical problem-solving expertise, and the absence of or type of analogical problem-solving training (i.e., teacher-generated or learner-generated) provided to learners.

Recently, researchers have begun to focus on providing solvers with multiple practice opportunities and extending these opportunities over a systematically distributed period of time. When combined with analogical problem-solving training, these factors will augment the …

Assessing Mental Health Of Native American Children: Relationship Of Acculturation With Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Functioning, Christopher H. Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The literature indicates that, in comparison to children of other ethnic minority groups, Native American children may be at greater risk for a variety of emotional and behavioral Ill disorders and negative psychosocial conditions. Many may also struggle to resolve issues related to cultural identity. Understanding how Native American children and families relate to the cultures within which they live is a critical aspect of preventing and treating childhood mental disorders. Although Native children and families face persistent social pressure to adapt to a multicultural world, no systematic research exists examining the relationship between families' experience of acculturation and their …

Criterion-Related Validity Of The Borg Ratings Of Perceived Exertion (Rpe) Scale : A Meta-Analysis, Michael J. Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Borg Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale has proven to be a highly popular instrument in measuring the subjective responses of individuals to a given work or exercise task. Historically, the instrument was designed to correlate highly with the heart rates in young-to-middle-aged men performing various tasks. The body of literature, however, has revealed inconsistencies in the extent of just how strong the relationship is between ratings of perceived exertion and various physiological criterion variables, most notably, heart rate. In addition, most studies have invoked the question of whether the criterion-related validity coefficients derived from the relationship between ratings …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relation Between Domestic Violence And Pet Abuse, Claudia V. Weber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a descriptive study that examined the relation between domestic violence and pct abuse. Participants were questioned about their styles of conflict resolution with partners and how pets were treated in the home. Information was gathered using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and three surveys were developed for this study: the Battered Partner Shelter Survey, Families and Pets Survey, and the Child 's Observations and Experience with Pets. Four groups were recruited: (a) women in crisis shelters who chose to include one of their children in the study (n = 39), (b) women in crisis shelters who did not …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of The Students' Realizing Educational Potential Program, Frances Y. Tous

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Students' Realizing Educational Potential Program (REP) was implemented in the 1993-94 academic year to reduce dropout rates for ethnic minority students at Utah State University. This program is currently funded by a 5-year grant, pending renewal upon demonstration of its effectiveness. A formative evaluation was conducted to determine whether the REP program has accomplished its goals thus far, using 157 minority students. Two levels of analysis were conducted. In the first level, admission index scores, college grade point averages, and the average number of quarters enrolled were compared among three REP and non-REP cohorts. The REP program did not …

Characteristics Of Internalizing Social-Emotional Behaviors Of Southwestern Native American Children, Carolyn Thomas Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The knowledge base targeting internalizing symptomatology in Native American children is surprisingly limited. As yet, it is not clear if the process and symptoms of internalizing disorders are the same across cultures. The need for further investigation is heightened by the fact that, compared to the majority population, Native Americans are believed to be at greater risk for psychological problems because of impoverished conditions, high unemployment, and high numbers of traumatic events on the reservations. Additionally, the losses of traditional culture and language are considered risk factors for greater psychopathology. The negative ramifications of internalizing disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety) …

Therapy Videotape Presentation For Eating Disorder Clients: Development And Evaluation, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. Earlier studies support the use of pretherapy training to help clients understand the tasks and challenges of therapy. However, a pretherapy intervention, such as showing prospective clients a video that outlines recovery issues and themes, had not yet been developed specifically for the prevalent, recalcitrant problem of eating disorders. Thus, of particular interest to clinicians who treat eating disorders may be the development of a theoretically sound, pretherapy videotape that outlines recovery issues.

One of the purposes of this study was to review prior investigations …

Traditional And Contemporary Lakota Death, Dying, Grief, And Bereavement Beliefs And Practices: A Qualitative Study, Joseph B. Stone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bereavement beliefs and practices in the modern, American culture have been well documented. However, virtually no research has been conducted on traditional and contemporary death, dying, grief, and bereavement beliefs and practices among native tribes, such as the Lakota.

The present study was conducted with the Lakota, and fulfilled two goals. iii First, the contemporary and traditional death, dying, grief, and bereavement beliefs and practices of the Lakota were documented and summarized. Such documentation may help bereaved Lakota tribal members who are experiencing problems with death and bereavement, and may help preserve traditional knowledge, beliefs, and practices. Second, the consensus …

An Investigation Of Social Skills And Antisocial Behaviors Of At-Risk Youth: Construct Validation Of The Home And Community Social Behavior Scales, Paul Caldarella

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The major purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the construct validity of a new parent rating scale, the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS), that was used to measure the social skills and antisocial behaviors of at-risk youth in Northern Utah. The results indicate that the HCSBS possesses strong internal consistency with high alphas. Convergent validity with both teacher ratings and student self-ratings of social competence and antisocial behavior appeared slight. Discriminant validity was indicated by the near zero correlations between the HCSBS and the KTEA. The instrument appeared able to detect group differences as indicated by the …

An Investigation Of The Parenting Stress Index In The Context Of Generalizability Theory, Jim D. Sharpnack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This present study examined the application of generalizability theory (GT) to the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) long and short forms for families having children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the dependability of parenting stress data scores gathered from families having children with disabilities. The data for the present study came from an extant data set collected by the Early Intervention Research Institute (EIRI; Contract #800-85-0173) at Utah State University. The EIRI studies represented attempts to assess the benefits and cost of conducting early intervention programs. The EIRI data were recoded at the item level for …

Preliminary Development And Content Validation Of A Rating Scale For Assessing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children, Melissa Lea Holland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently one of the most frequent problems for which children are referred to mental health clinics in this country, affecting approximately 3-5% of the childhood population. Although adequate assessment and identification of this disorder is imperative, most of the currently existing measures to assess for ADHD in children are inadequate . The present research study involved the development and content validation of a new behavior rating scale prototype for assessing ADHD in the school-age (K-12) population.

This research was conducted in five distinct steps: (a) item development; (b) development of the prototype; (c) content validation …

The Relationship Between Graduate Students' Education In Research Ethics And Their Attitudes Toward Research Misconduct, Perry Sailor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A mail survey of a nationwide sample of department heads in university departments of mechanical engineering, physiology, and psychology was conducted, in order to determine what these departments were doing to educate their Ph.D. students in research ethics. Department heads were also asked to supply names of the Ph.D. students in their departments. Based on the survey responses, departments within each discipline were then divided into those placing a relatively high versus low emphasis on teaching research ethics. Random samples of students in each emphasis category for each discipline were then surveyed and asked to rate the seriousness of 44 …

The Relationship Between Guilt- And Shame-Proneness And Rorschach Indices Of Psychological Functioning, Julie Bingham Shiffler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the degrees of proneness to the self-conscious emotions of nonruminative guilt, ruminative guilt, and shame and several indices of psychological functioning, including depression, narcissism, anger, dysphoric affect, cooperation, need for affection, and self-inspection, in a college population. Gender differences were also examined.

A measure of psychological functioning (the Rorschach) and a measure of guilt- and shame-proneness (the Test of Self-Conscious Affect--Modified) were administered to 91 college students (43 males and 48 females). Females reported higher levels of all three self-conscious emotions. The only gender difference found among the psychological …

A Comparative Analysis Of Seven Published Self-Report Measures For Assessing Internalizing-Type Symptoms In Children And Adolescents, Kathryn E. Anderson

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

The broad domain of internalizing disorders encompasses a variety of symptoms that are specific to child and adolescent populations and generalizable to adult populations. Internalizing disorders, commonly referred to as " emotional problems," include such problems as depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, somatic complaints, and low self-esteem. The other side of this classification dichotomy is that of externalizing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), which involve overt behaviors considered as "undercontrolled". In contrast, internalizing problems involve behaviors that possess an "overcontrolled" quality. Such a covert nature leads to difficulty in identification and diagnosis, as they often go unnoticed by the …

Empirical Investigation Of Efficacy In Home-Based Mental Health Care, Ann L. Athorp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study consisted of two experiments to examine the impact of home-based therapy on mental illness in multiproblem families. Review of the literature focused on the interplay between poverty and mental illness in defining multiproblem families and the utilization of home-based therapy with this population and others.

Experiment 1 focused on delineating the type and severity of psychological distress in families characterized as multiproblem. Subjects were 58 participants in the Community-Family Partnership, a Comprehensive Child Development Program located at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. In this sample, serious psychological distress was evident with depression in both women and …

The Emotional Attributes Questionnaire: Self- And Other-Reports Of Guilt And Shame, Heidi L. Eyre

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Shame and guilt are considered to be important emotions for empirical study for a variety of reasons. Developmental psychologists are interested in the emergence of shame and guilt as they relate to the child's understanding of societal and familial expectations/norms and the subsequent development of conscience (Zahn-Waxler & Kochanska, 1990). Social psychologists study how guilt and shame are used to create power differentials and restore equity to relationships (Baumeister, Stillwell, & Heatherton, 1994). Finally, clinicians have long thought shame and guilt to be involved in the development of disorders such as anxiety and depression (H.B. Lewis, 1971). However, those within …

Parental Compliance Of Psychological Recommendations Following An Outpatient Child Assessment, Shannon J. Pratt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a dearth of studies investigating methods by which parental compliance may be enhanced. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relative efficacy of four conditions--high information, prompting, incentive, and comparison control--in increasing parental compliance. The self-help recommendation was to obtain a book or video from a local library. Parents were from a small, rural, northern Utah community; their children were diagnosed with externalizing behavior problems. Chi-square analyses were utilized to assess statistically significant differences, and effect sizes were computed to assess magnitude of association. The incentive intervention influenced parental compliance to a greater degree than …

An Investigation Of Criterion-Related Validity And Clinical Sensitivity Of The Internalizing Symptoms Scale For Children, Lisa Ann Mcclun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need for a self-report instrument that assesses internalizing problems in children ages 8 through 12 is evidenced in the lack of such an instrument, and in the prevalence of internalizing problems in children. A new self-report instrument, the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), has been proposed and developed to fit this need. The present study evaluated the criterion-related validity, clinical cutoff points, and discriminating power of the ISSC. Two groups of child subjects, clinic-referred and general-school-population, were recruited and administered the ISSC, and a parent of each subject completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Each case within the …

An Interpersonal And Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To Childhood Depression: A School-Based Primary Prevention Study, Tracy Black Cecchini

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Depression represents a serious mental health problem that affects the lives of many children. Depression is frequently cited as the most recurrent emotional problem facing younger populations. Left untreated, depression can have several negative ramifications on later adjustment, including suicide, substance use, academic and social difficulties, low self-esteem, and an increased risk for other mental health problems.

The search for effective treatments for depression has extended into several arenas. Schools play an important role in the lives of children and provide an ideal setting for early detection and remediation of depression at every stage. Schools are increasingly being encouraged to …

Acculturation, Family Variables, And Cognition Of A Subgroup Of American Indian Children Ages 3-9, Michael Alan Cummings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between specific family variables and measures of cognitive abilities for preschool and young school-aged children of an American Indian ancestry. More specifically, the study used two cognitive measures, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Embedded Figures Test, and examined the influence that 23 family variables and cultural background (acculturation) had on measures of spatial abilities.

Past studies suggested that American Indian children, as a group, perform above the standardization sample on measures of visual-spatial skills, have higher simultaneous processing skills, and are more field independent. It was anticipated that at …

The Efficacy Of Guided Imagery For Recovery From Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Replacement, Deborah D. Durso-Cupal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an exploratory, developmental injury intervention study, this research investigated the efficacy of providing psychological intervention in the form of relaxation and guided imagery to a group of orthopedic patients recovering from major knee surgery. Utilizing a prospective, experimental research design with 30 subjects randomly assigned to either an intervention, placebo, or control group, this study employed physiological as well as psychological outcome measures. Intervention consisted of 10 individual mental practice sessions for intervention group members as an adjunct to physical therapy. Content of these sessions was intentionally designed to facilitate physiotherapy goals. Imagery protocols with which to deliver these …

Factor Structure Of The Anorexia Bulimia Inventory, Anne C. Dobmeyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Anorexia Bulimia Inventory, a recently developed self-report questionnaire for the assessment of eating disorders, addresses two major limitations found in existing self-report eating disorder inventories. First, it comprehensively assesses the diagnostic symptoms of both bulimia and anorexia nervosa; and second, it assesses the frequently cooccurring problem areas (e.g., depression, anergia) that may be targeted in treatment planning for eating disorders. Although initial research on the psychometrics of the instrument appears promising, no research has yet investigated its factor structure. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to investigate the factor structure of the Anorexia Bulimia Inventory.

Principal axis …

The Interactive And Combined Effects Of Domain-Specific Knowledge And Strategic Knowledge On Reading Comprehension, Eric J. Gee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The literature in reading comprehension has demonstrated that both domain-specific knowledge and strategic knowledge are vital to good comprehension. However, few studies have actually compared the effects of the two types of knowledge on reading comprehension. Fewer studies have examined the effects of combining the two strategies even though cognitive theories indicate that true comprehension occurs when certain procedures act upon knowledge constructed from the text being read and "link" that knowledge with knowledge in the long-term memory.

This study compared subjects receiving strategic knowledge and content knowledge to subjects receiving strategic knowledge only, subjects receiving content-knowledge only, and a …

An Investigation Of The Temporal Stability Of Self-Reported Internalizing Symptoms In Elementary-Age Children, Kurt David Michael

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past two decades, a great deal of research has been devoted to the understanding of internalizing disorders in children. Internalizing disorders encompass a wide variety of problems, including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints. It has been suggested that the existence of internalizing disorders in children has negative effects upon their self-esteem, academic achievement, physical health, and future adjustment. However, because internalizing disorders are, in great measure, subjective perceptions of internal distress, they are often not readily or reliably identified by external observers. As a result, several researchers have stressed the importance of eliciting the child's perspective …

An Examination Of Cognitive And Behavioral Characteristics Of Kainaiwa Children Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Deborah Faith Pace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the scores of 450 Kainaiwa children from Kindergarten to grade 3 on social, behavioral, cognitive and cultural measures. The subjects consisted of children in three different classification groups: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Special Education, and Regular Education. The purpose of the study was to examine group membership to determine whether or not children who were diagnosed as FAS presented unique intellectual, behavioral, social and cultural characteristics from those of their regular and special education peers.

These results support the conclusion of previous research that FAS children differ significantly from their special and regular education peers. No …

An Investigation Of The Psychometric Properties And Factor Structure Of The Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Rating Scale For Children And Adolescents, Melissa Lea Holland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent problems for which children are referred to mental health clinics in the United States, affecting approximately 3-5% of the childhood population. Although adequate assessment and identification of this disorder is imperative, most of the currently existing rating scales available to assess for ADHD in the childhood population are inadequate. The present research study involved the investigation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of a new behavior rating scale, the ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale (ADHD-SRS), developed for the assessment of ADHD in the school-age (K-12) population.

The participants in this …