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Honors Theses

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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

A Broken System? Prescription Drug Use And Abuse In Fraternity And Sorority Members., Morgan Pollard Jan 2015

A Broken System? Prescription Drug Use And Abuse In Fraternity And Sorority Members., Morgan Pollard

Honors Theses

Although a relationship between Greek affiliation and increased risktaking has been observed in previous research, the relationship between prescription drug abuse and Greek affiliation has not been thoroughly researched. Participants in the current study comprised a sample of 515 University of Mississippi undergraduate students (28.99% male, 71.01% female) recruited via a campus wide survey comprised of a stratified random sample of the university student population. The results of this examination reveal that there is a significant relationship between prescription drug use, all types of drugs as well as stimulants and opiates specifically, and abuse and Greek affiliation.Thissignificant relationship is examined …


Social Interaction Between Deaf And Hearing People, Rebecca C. Hankins Jan 2015

Social Interaction Between Deaf And Hearing People, Rebecca C. Hankins

Honors Theses

This study examined the personal experiences of hearing people in their interactions with Deaf persons and their knowledge about Deaf culture. The research involved questioning hearing people about their perceptions and interactions with Deaf people and Deaf culture in an effort to gain insight as to how the lives of Deaf people can be improved in mainstream culture. It was predicted that a majority of hearing participants would describe a lack of knowledge about Deaf culture, discomfort interacting with a Deaf person, and an agreement that a need exists for better understanding of Deaf culture. A survey was conducted with …


Do You See What I See? How A Dark Triad Personality Affects Perceptions Of Dark Triad Characters In Film And Television, Timothy Davis Jan 2015

Do You See What I See? How A Dark Triad Personality Affects Perceptions Of Dark Triad Characters In Film And Television, Timothy Davis

Honors Theses

The Dark Triad is composed of three related subclinical personality traits: narcissism (excessive self-love, need for attention), psychopathy (cold, remorseless), and Machiavellianism (manipulative, cynical). The present study uses Dark Triad film/television characters to examine how Dark Triad people view others like them. It was hypothesized that (1) participants higher in the Dark Triad are more interested in films/television shows with Dark Triad characters, (2) participants higher in the Dark Triad have a more positive reaction to Dark Triad characters, and (3) Dark Triad participants see themselves in Dark Triad characters. Gender differences in Dark Triad character evaluations were also examined. …


The Effect Of Attachment Type On Levels Of Delinquency And Peer Relations, Kayla Jordan Dec 2014

The Effect Of Attachment Type On Levels Of Delinquency And Peer Relations, Kayla Jordan

Honors Theses

The goal of this study is to determine if a relationship exists between the attachment type of an individual and that individual's level of delinquency and also their peer relations. This was done by having the participant take the Adult Attachment Scale to place them into their attachment type, followed by the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale to determine the participant's level of delinquency, and finally the Index of Peer Relations to assess the amount of problems the participant has with his or her peers. Sixty-one Coastal Carolina students participated in the study and the results show that those with a …


Autism Project: Case Study Evaluating Behavioral Interventions For The Self-Injurious Behavior Of Biting, Brittani Rohrig Dec 2014

Autism Project: Case Study Evaluating Behavioral Interventions For The Self-Injurious Behavior Of Biting, Brittani Rohrig

Honors Theses

Self-injurious (SIB) behavior is a common problem among the autism population, and often those who engage in SIB have done so since a very early age. There was a nine-year-old boy named Jack who was diagnosed with ASD and engaged in the self-injurious behavior of biting his hand. A functional analysis was conducted and it was found that the behavior was multiply controlled across three main conditions: alone/play, demand, and attention. The goal of this case study was to review previous interventions that did not eliminate the target behavior, analyze and revise the current protocols in place, and eliminate the …


Thwarted Belongingness In Relation To Face-To-Face And Online Interactions, Fallon B. Moberg Aug 2014

Thwarted Belongingness In Relation To Face-To-Face And Online Interactions, Fallon B. Moberg

Honors Theses

Suicide has become an increasing problem, and it is ranked as the tenth leading cause of death for all ages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Joiner’s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide states thwarted belongingness - the feeling of being alienated from others - and perceived burdensomeness - the feeling of being a liability to others – are the primary proximal factors leading to suicidal desire. The current study focuses on thwarted belongingness and examines its relationship to face-to-face interactions and online interactions. We hypothesized that negative face-to-face and online interactions would independently predict higher levels of thwarted belongingness. …


Sexism Across Musical Genres: A Comparison, Sarah Neff Jun 2014

Sexism Across Musical Genres: A Comparison, Sarah Neff

Honors Theses

Music is a part of daily life for most people, leading the messages within music to permeate people’s consciousness. This is concerning when the messages in music follow discriminatory themes such as sexism or racism. Sexism in music is becoming well documented, but some genres are scrutinized more heavily than others. Rap and hip-hop get much more attention in popular media for being sexist than do genres such as country and rock. My goal was to show whether or not genres such as country and rock are as sexist as rap and hip-hop. In this project, I analyze the top …


A Study Of Pet Bonding, Interpersonal Trust, And Helping Attitudes As A Function Of Gender And Pet Ownership, Alysha Mcgrath May 2014

A Study Of Pet Bonding, Interpersonal Trust, And Helping Attitudes As A Function Of Gender And Pet Ownership, Alysha Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Studies have shown that pet owners have better overall physical health than non-owners; however, little research has been done to examine the influence of pet ownership on an individual's psychological health. The purpose of this research was to determine the effect pet ownership has on interpersonal trust and helping attitudes, as well as to examine gender differences for these variables. It was hypothesized that pet owners would score higher for trust and helping attitudes than non-owners, and that women would score higher for trust and helping attitudes than men. It was also hypothesized that women would have stronger companion animal …


Examining The Relationship Between Parental Overprotection, Use Of Assistive Technology, And Independence With Routines Among Children With Physical Disabilities, Kelsey I. Shinnick May 2014

Examining The Relationship Between Parental Overprotection, Use Of Assistive Technology, And Independence With Routines Among Children With Physical Disabilities, Kelsey I. Shinnick

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between parental overprotection/overindulgence, assistive technology utilization, and independence with routines among children with physical disabilities. Participants included 26 primary caregivers of children with physical disabilities age 6 to 12 (M = 8.65, SD = 2.00). Data regarding demographic information, parenting practices, the child’s gross motor functioning, assistive technology (AT) use, independence with routines, and frequency of routines were obtained from the primary caregiver via an online survey. While no significant relationships between the variables of interest were observed after controlling for the child’s age, gross motor functioning, and …


The Role Of Extrinsic Orientation In The Relation Between Adolescent Narcissism And Problem Behaviors, Drew A. Leggett May 2014

The Role Of Extrinsic Orientation In The Relation Between Adolescent Narcissism And Problem Behaviors, Drew A. Leggett

Honors Theses

The present study examined the moderating effects of academic and religious motivational orientations on the relation between adolescent narcissism and delinquency and aggression. It was hypothesized that adolescent narcissism would be significantly correlated with extrinsic orientation in religion and academics. In addition, it was expected that participants who reported high levels of adolescent narcissism and extrinsic motivation would report the highest levels of delinquency and proactive aggression and that an intrinsic orientation would mitigate this relationship. Data were acquired through the self-report surveys of 143 adolescents (111 males, 32 females), ranging in age from 16 to 19 (M = …


Choice And Control Of Enrichment For A Rescued And Rehabilitated Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Trunactus), Hannah Bahe May 2014

Choice And Control Of Enrichment For A Rescued And Rehabilitated Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Trunactus), Hannah Bahe

Honors Theses

Animals living under human care experience stress related to a lack of control over t environment. One way to remedy this is through the use of cognitive enrichment, su choice and control of enrichment. This type of enrichment has been shown to have benefits for animals under human care including increased activity and social interactions. To determine if choice and control was more beneficial than enrichmen alone, a three year old male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was ex to novel enrichment items in two experimental conditions. For the first condition, th animal was given a novel object. During the …


Social Rejection: Downward Simulation, The Road To Recovery, Monica L. Hesler May 2014

Social Rejection: Downward Simulation, The Road To Recovery, Monica L. Hesler

Honors Theses

Prior research on social rejection has found that people with high self-esteem tend to cope better with social rejection. However, there is still not a complete understanding as to why they tend to cope better with rejection. Some research has found that persons with high self-esteem think about rejection differently than persons with low self-esteem which results in a better ability to cope. This thesis further examines the relationship between self-esteem and social rejection. Specifically this thesis examines how different thought being used by persons with high or low self-esteem may affect their reactions to social rejection. Based on prior …


Faith And Homosexuality: Grace, Religious Problem-Solving Styles And The Internalized Homophobia Of Homosexuals, Maria R. Matty May 2014

Faith And Homosexuality: Grace, Religious Problem-Solving Styles And The Internalized Homophobia Of Homosexuals, Maria R. Matty

Honors Theses

The current research examines the grace-orientation and problem-solving styles of gay and lesbian people of faith relative to their relationship with God and the extent, if any, of their internalized homonegativity. This issue was investigated using psychological measures involving a) the style of religious problem-solving, b) internalized homonegativity, c) feelings of shame and guilt and d) personal experiences of grace. Statistical analyses found that having less homonegativity toward oneself and the disclosure of homosexuality is associated with higher levels of experienced grace and lower feelings of shame and guilt. Collaborative and deferring religious problem-solving styles correlated positively with both experienced …


The Effects Of An Academic Values Clarification Exercise On Academic Performance Of College Students, Dana Goetz Apr 2014

The Effects Of An Academic Values Clarification Exercise On Academic Performance Of College Students, Dana Goetz

Honors Theses

Values exploration exercises, in which individuals are typically asked to rank order their values and describe values that are most important to them, have been used for many purposes including reducing the racial achievement gap in academic performance (Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, Maseter, 2006), increasing acceptance of health related issues (Harris & Napper, 2005), and increasing academic success (Chase, Houmanfar, Hayes, Ward, Vilardaga, & Follette, 2013). However, little research has addressed the mechanism or mechanisms through which values clarification exercises impact outcomes, particularly academic achievement. This paper analyzes values clarification exercises used in educational settings during the 1970s and the roles …


The Effects Of Child Birth Order And Number Of Children On Mother’S Supervision Beliefs And Practices, Alyssa Schramm Apr 2014

The Effects Of Child Birth Order And Number Of Children On Mother’S Supervision Beliefs And Practices, Alyssa Schramm

Honors Theses

Objective: This study aimed to examine (1) whether mothers’ attitudes about supervision differ based on (a) the number of children in the home and (b) the birth order of the child; (2) whether mothers’ reported supervision levels differ based on: (a) the number of children in the home and (b) the birth order of the child; (3) whether children in families with more than one child sustain more injuries than children in families with fewer children. I expected to find that mothers had more lax attitudes for their younger children versus old, and were more lax for homes with more …


A Study Of Stress Levels Of Students, Rebekah Currie Apr 2014

A Study Of Stress Levels Of Students, Rebekah Currie

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


The Consequence Of Freedom: A Sociological Analysis Of The Suicide Epidemic In Luthuania, Kyle Kaminski Apr 2014

The Consequence Of Freedom: A Sociological Analysis Of The Suicide Epidemic In Luthuania, Kyle Kaminski

Honors Theses

Lithuania has the highest global suicide rate at 40.2/100,000, according to the international suicide statistics provided by WHO (2004). Lithuania's suicide rate is over 2.5 times more than the global average. The top five countries in terms of suicide rate are Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Hungary (Ibid). All of these countries were previously under the Soviet Union's control from the end of World War II to the end of the Cold War in 1989. Lithuania has not always been at the top of the rankings for global suicide rates. Lithuania's suicide rate spiked almost 20 percent during the years …


The Effects Of A Picture Acitivty Schedule And Functional Communication Training, Sarah J. Lett Apr 2014

The Effects Of A Picture Acitivty Schedule And Functional Communication Training, Sarah J. Lett

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects a package treatment containing a picture activity schedule and functional communication training on the reduction of problem behaviors on a child with developmental delays. The study was conducted by first establishing discrimination between pictures, to be used in the picture activity schedule. Then the tutors progressively advanced through the six phases of the picture activity schedule. Each phase taught fundamental rules such as “first this, then that”, and built the schedule to more complex structure. In this way, the student could anticipate upcoming tasks, and preferred activities. The predictor strategy …


Simple Visual Discrimination Training For A Child With Autism And Exceptional Learning Difficulties, Rachel Burroughs Apr 2014

Simple Visual Discrimination Training For A Child With Autism And Exceptional Learning Difficulties, Rachel Burroughs

Honors Theses

One of the most basic pre-requisite skills for learning is simple visual discrimination. Unfortunately, the literature is lacking in how to teach simple visual discrimination to children with difficulty learning. To address this problem, the current study set out to teach a child with autism, and exceptional learning difficulty, simple visual discrimination. To do this, the researchers used a simple reversal design using a prompt fading strategy. To shape the independent behavior of selecting the correct stimulus in the presence of two other stimuli, the researchers started by reinforcing touching the stimuli when there were no other distractor stimuli present, …


The Combined Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules And Extinction Plus Differential Reinforcement On Problem Behavior During Transitions, Jessica Hurdelbrink Apr 2014

The Combined Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules And Extinction Plus Differential Reinforcement On Problem Behavior During Transitions, Jessica Hurdelbrink

Honors Theses

To decrease problem behaviors and increase compliance during transitions, a treatment package consisting of a picture activity schedule combined with extinction and differential reinforcement of other behavior was implemented. The study consisted of baseline and the intervention. Based on previous studies involving picture activity schedules, Gina Cross wrote the protocol for the teaching of the activity schedule and the transition protocol. The teaching protocol was made up of four stages of most-to-least prompting, and involved teaching the child to move the picture icon to the bottom of the schedule independently. The transition protocol gave instructions on how the tutor and …


Gradual Guidance And Independent Activity Schedules For Children With Autism, Amanda Driscoll Apr 2014

Gradual Guidance And Independent Activity Schedules For Children With Autism, Amanda Driscoll

Honors Theses

The goal of this intervention was to increase on-task and on-schedule behavior in a child with autism through the use of gradual guidance and an independent activity schedule. The participant was a three year-old boy who exhibited noncompliant problem behavior. He was at mastery level for the tasks that were included in the independent activity schedule and had no prior learning experience with an independent activity schedule. Gradual guidance was used to decrease the time it took for him to learn the complex behavior that is involved with an independent activity schedule and to keep the participant on-task and on-schedule …


Discrimination Against Disabled Persons In Malawi And The United States: A Comparative Study, Stephen Crum Apr 2014

Discrimination Against Disabled Persons In Malawi And The United States: A Comparative Study, Stephen Crum

Honors Theses

Physically disabled individuals experience hardships that are more severe than the general public in both Malawi, African and in the United States. Disabled Malawians and Americans experience lower employment rates and lower annual incomes than the general public. Additionally, there is a lower educational attendance rate among disabled individuals in each country. This study sought to determine what factors contributed to these educational and employment deficiencies in both countries. Possible factors for the deficit may include discrimination, poor infrastructure, or the severity of the physical disability. A survey was administered to students (N = 52) at the University of Dayton …


The Effects Of Moral Licensing On High-Cost And Low-Cost Helping Behaviors, Kaitlin E. Boyd Apr 2014

The Effects Of Moral Licensing On High-Cost And Low-Cost Helping Behaviors, Kaitlin E. Boyd

Honors Theses

Previous research on moral licensing demonstrates that individuals who behave morally are less willing to help in the future; but is this still the case when the cost of helping is low? The present thesis examined the effects of moral licensing on prosocial behavior that is high in cost-to-self and low in cost-to-self. Contrary to past literature, participants in the control condition did not rate themselves as more willing to help than participants who felt morally licensed. This presents a need for more thorough research on the mechanisms of moral licensing. Participants did, however, rate themselves as more willing to …


Auditory Information In The Form Of A Scratching Sound Enhances The Effects Of The Rubber Hand Illusion, Bridget O'Mera Apr 2014

Auditory Information In The Form Of A Scratching Sound Enhances The Effects Of The Rubber Hand Illusion, Bridget O'Mera

Honors Theses

The body schema describes an internal representation of the body in space, and is generated from a number of different sense modalities such as vision and proprioception. Botvinick and Cohen's rubber hand illusion (1998) demonstrates the relative contributions of vision, tactile perception and proprioception to body awareness. In this illusion, a participant's real hand is concealed from view and a prosthetic rubber hand is seen in its place. An experimenter simultaneously administers tactile stimulation to both the seen rubber hand and participant's actual hidden hand. The combination of this visual and tactile information overrides proprioceptive cues to body perception, creating …


Validation Of A Recurrent Nitroglycerin Migraine Model In The Rat, Ainslee Johnson Jan 2014

Validation Of A Recurrent Nitroglycerin Migraine Model In The Rat, Ainslee Johnson

Honors Theses

The present research sought to determine if repeated nitroglycerin (NTG) administrations elicited responses on clinically relevant behavioral endpoints of migraine in rats. Rats were given five saline, three NTG or five NTG administrations over a two-week period. After their fifth injection rats were evaluated using the rat grimace scale, modified light/dark box, thermal tail flick tests, elevated plus maze and forced swim test. Repeated NTG administration affected weight gain, movement in the modified light/dark box and photophobia. The thermal tail flick tests, elevated plus maze and forced swim test did not reveal treatment effects. Based on these findings, we conclude …


Defining College Experiences And Changing Drinking Trends Over The Course Of One Freshman Semester, Cipriano Louis Apicelli Jan 2014

Defining College Experiences And Changing Drinking Trends Over The Course Of One Freshman Semester, Cipriano Louis Apicelli

Honors Theses

The first semester of college is a formative stage in the lives of young adults. It is a period of transformation and adaptation, and certain experiences may set the tone for the rest of the student's college career. It has long been apparent that a number of problems at the level of secondary education can be traced to the use and, particularly, the abuse of alcohol. Problems with alcohol consumption as one of the contributing factors range from poor grades, emergency room visits, to events such as unwanted sexual advances and in extreme cases, even assaults. In this study, I …


Attaching Meaning To Sex: Attachment Styles And Possible Mediators Of Safe Sex Behavior, Dominic Antonacci Jan 2014

Attaching Meaning To Sex: Attachment Styles And Possible Mediators Of Safe Sex Behavior, Dominic Antonacci

Honors Theses

Attachment theory, first posited by Bowlby (1969, 1973, 1980), has been expanded and applied to many aspects of human development as well as to adult relationships. Hazan and Shaver (1987), for example, define romantic relationships as an interaction between caregiving, attachment, and sex. It would then be expected that attachment has an effect on sexual behavior, and indeed, Strachman and Impett (2009) have reported that anxious individuals are typically less likely to use condoms than avoidant individuals. This study attempted to explore the link between attachment and beliefs about sex and condom use as possible mediators for the differences seen …


An Exploratory Study Of Gait And Balance In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Krystal Mircovich Jan 2014

An Exploratory Study Of Gait And Balance In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Krystal Mircovich

Honors Theses

Research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) display movement impairments that are distinct from typically developing peers. Results from numerous studies suggest various and inconsistent findings. Therefore, movement differences in children with ASD should continue to be assessed. The current study examined the characteristics of gait and balance in children with ASD, between the ages of 7 and 11, by comparing behavioral observation and parent report. As two of the most frequent behaviors of movement and two of the main movements implicated in neurological disorders, an evaluation of how these behaviors differ in children with ASD will offer …


Emerging Adults' Friendships And Group Identification : Differential Associations With Well-Being, Ethan Wolf Jan 2014

Emerging Adults' Friendships And Group Identification : Differential Associations With Well-Being, Ethan Wolf

Honors Theses

Happiness is a universally desirable state that humans inherently strive to achieve. Researchers have come up with different ways of operationalizing this universal construct, but have generally agreed that happiness can be considered as the frequent presence of positive affect (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). There is a reason we love being happy, and the associations between happiness and success in numerous life domains have been long documented. However, research shows that happiness is more than just a byproduct of successful outcomes and in fact contributes to life success. Positive affect and emotions leads to feelings of confidence, self-efficacy, optimism, …


Links Between Friendship, Psychological Symptoms, And Academic Adjustment In An Emerging Adulthood Sample, Lisa Sample Jan 2014

Links Between Friendship, Psychological Symptoms, And Academic Adjustment In An Emerging Adulthood Sample, Lisa Sample

Honors Theses

It is well established that peer relationships, including friendships, have an important influence on children’s adjustment in school (Buhs & Ladd, 2001; Guay, Boivin, & Hodges, 1999). Friendship might contribute to success in school because this relationship often serves as a source of social and emotional support for the child. When a child feels comfortable in his or her environment, he or she is more readily able to participate in his or her learning (Buhs & Ladd, 2001).