Psychology Commons^™

Use Of Live And Robotic Assistance Animals For Psychological And Cognitive Health In Military Populations, Rachelle M. Cross

Dissertations

This literature review addresses the use of live and robotic animal-assisted therapy for psychological and cognitive health in military populations. More specifically, this literature review aims to address the benefits and limitations of the use of live animal-assisted therapy, complementary and alternative techniques (i.e., Combat and Emotional Stress Control Dogs and social robots) for military personnel, and possible attitudinal barriers regarding active duty and veteran soldiers, while utilizing literature conducted with the civilian population to augment. A systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative publications and book chapters was utilized to accomplish this. Results of the literature review indicated that …

Gender Differences In The Clinical Presentation Of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review, Kimberly Glover

Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder is diagnosed in women three times more than men and represents a significant gender disparity amid considerable stigmatization compared to other psychological disorders. Empirical studies have investigated the gender prevalence for borderline personality disorder and further determined that findings may be due to differences in how borderline personality disorder clinically manifests in men and women. Common areas of investigation have included developmental features, diagnostic symptomology, psychiatric comorbidities, and the level of functional impairment for individuals with borderline personality disorder. An analysis of existing data was indicative of shortcomings in methods that include small samples of men, a …

Secondary Traumatic Stress In Intimate Partners And Children Of Service Members, Amber Foreman

Dissertations

This literature review addresses secondary traumatic stress (STS) in intimate partners and children of service members. More specifically, this literature review aims to explore if intimate partners and children of military service members are at risk for developing secondary traumatic stress. Secondly, this review aims to explore if there are specific risk factors associated with the development of secondary traumatic stress in intimate partners and children of service members. Finally, this review examines if there are other stressors and outcomes for intimate partners and children of service members. A systematic review of peer-reviewed research was explored to accomplish addressing the …

Doing More With Less: A Quantitative Analysis Of Mindfulness, Meditation, Sustainable Consumption Awareness And Practice Among University Undergraduates, Teresa Van Horn

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Climate change, overconsumption, air, and water pollution continue to be pressing issues for society. Given the significant impact of overconsumption, the search for strategies to promote more sustainable behavior has become a topic for investigation. Universities are uniquely positioned to help students work toward sustainable solutions. This research explored the role of mindfulness in university students' sustainable consumption awareness and practice as there are gaps in the literature concerning definitions, constructs, and research regarding mindfulness and sustainable consumption.

To address these disparities, this research used stepwise regression analysis to investigate the extent to which mindfulness and select demographic measures …

The Asymmetric Effect Of Sentiment On Equity Returns, Mishal Ahmed

Dissertations

In the first chapter titled “The Asymmetric Effect of Sentiment on U.S. Equity Returns”, we test the asymmetric impact of investor sentiment, proxied by the Baker-Wurgler (2007) investor sentiment index, on expected stock returns in the U.S. We regress sentiment on market and economy-wide fundamentals, use the residuals as a measure of excess sentiment and estimate long-horizon return regressions using positive and negative components of excess sentiment as predictors. We hypothesize that excessive optimism leads investors to make significant portfolio changes whereas excessive pessimism makes investors more cautious about investing, due to loss aversion. Primary results confirm our hypothesis with …

Non-Affirmation As A Moderator Between Social Support And Quality Of Life For Transgender Populations, Michael Evitts

Dissertations

This research builds upon scholarship exploring the quality of life of transgender populations. Knowledge on quality-of-life (QOL) for transgender populations has been limited due to the fact that most studies have focused on gender affirming medical procedures as interventions (Nobili et al., 2018). Other protective factors, such as social support, have been identified in the literature but have been defined in broad terms. The purpose of the study was to better understand additional factors that promote QOL and psychological well-being, specifically social support. It is unclear how non-affirmation of gender identity affects the protective effects of social support for QOL. …

Compassion For Self-Identity: An Evaluation Of A Compassion-Based Intervention For Stigmatized Sexual Identities, Du T. Nguyen

Dissertations

Sexual minority persons often experience notable negative mental and physical health disparities when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. According to the minority stress framework, it is posited that these discrepancies are due to additional, group-specific stressors that they experience beyond stress felt by the general population. One such minority stress variable that has received considerable attention is sexual stigma. Not only has sexual stigmatization been found to be related to negative mental and physical health outcomes, it has also previously been found to hinder adaptive emotion regulation.

Due to the minority stress felt by sexual minority persons, there is a …

Exploring Generational Difference Of Acculturation, Ethnic Identity And Racial Identity In Liberian Immigrants And Their Children Living In The United States, Breezie J. Gibson

Dissertations

Prior literature on immigrants has focused on the impact of acculturation for groups such as Asians and Hispanic or Latinx immigrants (Orjiako & So, 2014; Sall, 2019). Compared to these two groups, the literature on Black immigrants’ experience of acculturation is scarce. In addition to the minimum visibility of Black immigrants in the acculturation literature, there is also limited knowledge relating to differences in the ethnic identity and racial identity of Black immigrants because these immigrants are often grouped monolithically with minimum attention to their diverse countries of origin. Understanding the influence of acculturation, ethnicity, and race is important because …

Young Adults With Disabilities Acquire Vocational Skills With Video Modeling, Carly Schroeder-Mackay

Dissertations

Students with disabilities often require substantial support to acquire the skills needed to secure work experience and paid employment. Special education transition programs have an obligation to utilize evidence-based practices to facilitate the acquisition of such skills. In the present project, three studies were conducted to examine the effects of video modeling on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of job-related tasks taught in a classroom setting to young adults with developmental disabilities. In Study 1, a multiple baseline across behaviors experimental design with four participants was used to assess the effects of video prompts on the percentage of correctly completed …

Preclinical Behavioral Assessment Of Chronic, Intermittent Low-Dose Psilocybin In Rodent Models Of Depression And Anxiety, Harmony I. Risca

Dissertations

Recent studies have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. Amidst the overall success of recent clinical trials using a single high dose of psilocybin, anecdotal reports indicate anxiolytic and antidepressant effects following a repeated low dose regimen. As therapeutic outcomes are often tightly intertwined with the individual’s subjective experience, animal models are used as objective measures to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the putative antidepressant/anxiolytic effects of psychedelics. Three rodent models predictive of anxiolytic or antidepressant effects were used to evaluate effects of chronic intermittent low dose (CILD) psilocybin treatment; the Light/Dark conflict …

Contingent Reinforcement And Instructed Generalization In A Laboratory Analog Of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: A Mixed Within-Group, Between-Group Design, Rebecca Rausch

Dissertations

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy emphasizes using social interactions in the therapeutic relationship to enhance interpersonal outcomes. The proposed mechanism of action in FAP is reinforcement provided by the therapist responding contingently to client improvements as they occur in session. The result is a stronger therapeutic relationship and improved social relating in daily life. Generalization is expected due to functional similarities inherent in interpersonal interactions and explicit attempts to link in-session learning to clients’ life via verbal descriptions and homework. The present study was a laboratory-based analog of the proposed processes occurring in FAP.

Using a modified fast friends’ procedure (FFP) and …

A Re-Examination Of The Motivations For Using Substances Questionnaire: Motives For Alcohol And Simultaneous Alcohol And Marijuana Use, Taylor Altenberger

Dissertations

The growing body of research examining simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use suggests motivations for alcohol-only, marijuana-only, and SAM use, especially among college-aged people, warrant further examination to ultimately tailor interventions to not only specific substances but also the underlying motivations for using those substances. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to test the measurement invariance of a novel broadband motives measure, the Motivations for Using Substances Questionnaire (MUSQ), across alcohol-only, marijuana-only, and SAM users and further test motivations’ relationships to use-related problems. However, due to insufficient sample sizes of marijuana-only users (n = 175), the MUSQ …

The Effect Of Token Economies On Student Behavior In The Preschool Classroom: A Meta-Analysis, Lynda B. Hayes

Dissertations

There has been a recent push in the literature to identify and use more evidence-based practices for positive behavioral supports for challenging student behaviors in the classroom environment. Further, interest in targeting early education environments such as preschool has been growing given the persistence of behavioral difficulties in the absence of early and effective intervention (Campbell & Ewing, 1990; Kazdin, 1987; Powell, Dunlap, Fox, 2006; Stormont, 2002). Two previous meta-analyses (Maggin et al., 2011; Soares et al., 2016) provided some initial support for effectiveness of token economies with challenging student behavior; however, the inclusion of the preschool setting was limited …

The Compliance Training For Children Model On Child Compliance: A Meta-Analysis, James Derieux

Dissertations

The current study was the first study to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on The Compliance Training for Children Model developed at The University of Southern Mississippi. Twenty-five studies incorporating treatment components from the model (e.g., effective instruction delivery, time-in, time-out, and contingent praise) were included in the study and evaluated for their effects on levels of child compliance. Results of the study yielded predominately large effect size calculations. A moderator analysis was conducted to evaluate treatment components, intervention setting, primary interventionist, and What Works Clearinghouse Standards (WWC, 2010) as potential moderator variables. Findings determined that …

Workplace Microaggressions Experienced By Sexual Minorities: Relationships To Workplace Attitudes, Mental Health, And The Role Of Emotional Distress Tolerance, Dylan Richard

Dissertations

Overt discrimination against sexual minorities in the workplace has been a topic of research and current political debate. However, little is known about a more nuanced form of workplace discrimination against sexual minorities: microaggressions. However, research has established clear mental health consequences of everyday microaggressions (e.g., increased depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicidality, lower life satisfaction, and physical health symptoms) against racial and sexual minorities. The current study aimed to explore correlates of microaggressions in the workplace, specifically workplace attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction and job stress) and mental health symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress). Further, emotional distress tolerance (EDT) was …

Test-Driving Interventions For Teachers: A Proactive Method For Improving Treatment Integrity, Stefanie Schrieber

Dissertations

Test-driving is an antecedent method utilized to improve the extent to which teachers adhere to implementation procedures of student interventions (i.e., treatment integrity). The current study aimed to extend the literature on the test-driving intervention with three teacher-student dyads in a high school setting using a multiple baseline design. Teacher/student dyads were recruited based on teacher referral to the schools’ behavioral consultants. Recruited teachers began in a consultation-as-usual phase, where procedures were implemented consistent with the problem-solving consultation model (e.g., problem identification, problem analysis, treatment implementation, and treatment evaluation). Teachers who demonstrated 50% or lower adherence to treatment components were …

How Well Do You Know Your Reach?, Tyler Surber

Dissertations

How does the relationship between an actor’s body proportions (eye-, shoulder-, and arm length) and environmental properties (object distance) affect the perception of whether an object is within reach? Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants are more accurate at judging their own eye height than shoulder height. Experiment 2 revealed that participants can accurately perceive the angular direction to a target object’s location. Interestingly, their pointing errors were significantly smaller when measured from the shoulder as a reference point than from the eye. In Experiment 3 we verified this finding using a functionally meaningful affordance task of reaching to a target …

Changing Criminal Thinking: An Examination Of Heterogeneity In Treatment Effects In A Sample Of Justice-Involved Persons With Dual Diagnoses, Michael Lester

Dissertations

Recent studies have indicated variability in cognitive change for justice-involved persons with mental illness exposed to treatments for criminal thinking and psychiatric risk factors. Research suggests that proactive styles of criminal thinking may be more difficult to change than impulsive or reactive styles. To date, however, no studies have identified risk factors for a limited response or modeled observed disparities in responsivity to interventions aimed at reducing criminal thinking. Using an archival dataset comprising 206 probationers with a dual diagnosis who were exposed to active CBT-based treatment, a latent profile analysis modeled unobserved heterogeneity in treatment response per observed changes …

Predicting Parent Attendance For Group-Delivered Pcit Workshops In Head Start Centers, Jennifer Tannehill

Dissertations

Group PCIT was offered to parents of Head Start children as part of a larger study that investigated the Impact of a Preschool Obesity Prevention (IPOP) Program Enhanced with Positive Behavioral Supports. The dependent variable (DV) in this study was number of group PCIT sessions attended. The independent variables were marital status, income, education level, parenting practices measured by the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-PR, and responses from the Caregiver Feeding Style Questionnaire. Predictions were made regarding the impact each of these variables had on attendance to group PCIT sessions. An ordinal logistic regression model was used to analyze the data. No …

Latent Variables Predicting Drug Use In Adolescents With High Versus Low Protective Factors, Jessica Jorgenson

Dissertations

The present study utilized archival data provided from the Minnesota Student Survey (2013). The study consisted of two levels of analysis. The first level involved the development of measurement models for various latent constructs (i.e., disaffiliation, normalized use, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors). Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the second level applied the observed (i.e., abuse) and measured latent variables to the prediction of the outcomes of interest (i.e., a latent variable estimate of substance use) for middle- and high school-aged youth. Models for adolescent girls and boys were examined separately based on sex and high vs low protective factors. …

Development And Initial Evaluation Of The Assessment Of Teacher Expectations And Practices (Atep), Kimberly Barajas

Dissertations

Teacher practices and expectations are important factors for students’ academic and behavioral functioning (Andersson & Palm, 2016; Oliver, Wehby, & Reschly, 2011; Rimm-Kaufman, Storm, Sawyer, Pianta, & LaParom 2006; Rubie-Davies, 2007; Sandholtz, 2011). The current measures available require a great deal of resources (i.e., time, money, personnel), have poor psychometric properties, or are not comprehensive (e.g., facets assessed; assessment of teacher practices for different grade levels). Given these concerns, the proposed study aimed to develop a psychometrically sound measure that is time and cost efficient and comprehensively assesses the multi-faceted construct of teacher practices. This measure is expected to allow …

The Power Of Presentation: How Attire, Cosmetics, And Posture Impact The Source Credibility Of The Female Expert Witness, Alexandra Repke

Dissertations

While previous research has examined behavior-based presentation styles of the female expert witness in light of source credibility, further research is required to examine the effect of other modifiable factors on her credibility, since perceived credibility affects the intermediate judgments that lead to ultimate legal decisions. This study investigated the impact of both behavior-based (i.e., posture) and appearance-based (i.e., attire and cosmetic use) factors on the female expert witness’ source credibility Model attractiveness served as a covariate in this study. A four-way (2 x 2 x 2 x 2) between-subjects analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that, beyond an effect of …

Attachment Quality Across Contexts: The Mediating Role Of Cognitive-Affective Traits, Christian Ammons

Dissertations

Attachment quality throughout the lifespan has been found to be impacted by a variety of factors including prior attachments with parents and other adults (Rholes, Simpson, & Friedman, 2006). The mechanisms that impact the transmission of attachment to parent-child attachment quality has not been fully explored. Individual differences such as traits involving appraisal of self and others and affective components have been found to be important in relationship functioning across contexts (Eisenberg, 2000). Thus, the current study evaluated the relationship between adult attachment quality and parent-child attachment quality and specifically examined the mediating effects of cognitive-affective traits (i.e. trait forgiveness, …

Exploration Of Patient Variables And Characteristics Best Suited For Medical Marijuana Treatment For Anxiety And Depressive Disorders, Corey Gazoo

Dissertations

Individuals with posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders are currently being prescribed medical marijuana as a treatment in many states across the United States. However, marijuana is still considered a schedule one narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Administration and federal government, which provides several barriers and challenges to conduct research such as approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and following guidelines from the National Institute on Drug Abuse issued by the DEA. Additionally, individuals prescribed medical marijuana for mental health disorders are not always thoroughly instructed on the type of medical marijuana, the dosage, and how frequently to …

Racial Identity, Masculinity, And Academic Help-Seeking Behaviors In African American Male College Students, Walter T. Malone

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Black racial identity attitudes, as measured by the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS), and masculine norms, as measured by the Conformity to Masculinity Norms Index -46 (CMNI-46), in relation to men's academic helpseeking behavior. Participants were 120 African American undergraduate males at a historically White university in the Midwest region of the United States. Four hypotheses were designed to help guide the measure's influences on two academic help-seeking variables, avoidance and perceived benefits. The first and second hypotheses both focused on the effects of Black college men's racial attitudes. …

To Write Or Type? A Comparison Of Flashcard Creation Methods On College Students’ Exam Scores, Sally Weigandt

Dissertations

College students frequently use flashcard-based study methods to prepare for exams and other course-related activities (Kornell & Bjork, 2007; Kornell & Bjork, 2008; Hartwig & Dunlosky, 2012, Wissman et al., 2012). Despite the popularity of flashcards, there has been little research evaluating the various methods used by students to create the flashcards and how those methods effect learning outcomes (Sage et al., 2016; Sage et al., 2019). The rise in popularity of web-based flashcard applications such as Quizlet (https://www.quizlet.com) and Cram (https://www.cram.com), combined with an increase in online learning, has produced a need for formal evaluation of handwriting versus typing …

Clinically Healing By Faith For Black Christian Women: A Proposed Model For Collaborative Religious And Psychological Treatment For The Aftermath Of Infidelity, Aldra Forrester

Dissertations

Infidelity rates are high in the United States and one of the leading causes for divorce between married couples. Research indicates that the Black community has a higher proclivity to infidelity compared to Whites. Black women have a higher chance of ending up in undissolved marriages than other races (Jarama et al., 2007). Previous studies have explored reasons behind the increased rates of high marital instability among Black women, including: the sex ratio imbalance, high mortality, and incarceration among Black men. Since African Americans are considered more religious than the general population, this literature review identified the need for an …

Impact Of Aging Information On The Continuing Education Preferences Of Behavioral Health Clinicians, Nicholas Schmidt

Dissertations

The United States population is aging rapidly and the behavioral health workforce is ill-prepared to meet the concurrent rise in demand for services for older adults. Clinicians specializing in working with older adults make up a very small portion of providers and the majority of service provision falls on general practitioners. The discipline of counseling has emphasized multicultural competencies in training and practice but has not specified standards of competence for work with older adults; little is known about the interests and training preferences of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). This study examined the impact of receiving foundational information about aging …

Clinicians' Use Of Mhealth Applications In Interventions For Substance Use Disorders, James Daniel Bender

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how clinicians are identifying, evaluating, and utilizing mHealth apps as treatment adjuncts with their clients who have a substance use disorder. A sample of 93 participants (20 males, 72 females, and 1 not listed) completed measures of demographics and inquiries about their use and evaluation of mHealth apps in their practices. Clinicians who work at mental health centers and private practicing clinicians were recruited. The majority of the sample (71%) reported that they had not utilized mHealth apps with their clients who have a substance use disorder diagnosis. Participants who have attended …

Examining Treatment Acceptability Of An Eight-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Protocol, Blake William Palmer

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine whether levels of perceived stress, experiential avoidance, personality traits including openness to experience and agreeableness, and demographic variables will predict the treatment acceptability (indicated by responses on the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale) of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This study collected data in the Spring of 2019. The final number of participants in the study was 116 (40 females, 76 males, Mage = 36, age range: 22-69 years). Participants completed measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the agreeableness and openness to Experience domains …