Psychology Commons^™

Does Personality Similarity In Bottlenose Dolphin Pairs Influence Dyadic Bond Characteristics?, Kelsey R. Moreno

Master's Theses

Social structures are critical to the success of many species and have repercussions on health, well-being, and adaptation, yet little is known about the factors which shape these structures aside from ecology and life history strategies. Dyadic bonds are the basis of all social structures; however, mechanisms for formations of specific bonds or patterns in which individuals form which types of bonds have yet to be demonstrated. There is a variety of evidence indicating personality may be a factor in shaping bonds, but this relationship has not been explored with respect to bond components and is yet to be demonstrated …

Assessing Career Decision-Making Status: The Casve Cycle Questionnaire, Brianna J. Werner

Master's Theses

The CASVE Cycle Questionnaire (CASVE-CQ) was developed to assess an individual’s progress in the CASVE cycle. A multi-phase development process was utilized, which included: initial item development, review by the current targeted demographic (i.e., college students), expert review, measure pilot, and measure administration with item refinement at each of the first three phases. Additionally, the CASVE-CQ identifies those who may have passed over important components of the CASVE cycle. As hypothesized and consistent with guided theory, exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 6 factor measure consisting of 55 items. Validity was supported through correlations between the CASVE-CQ and the identity …

Sparking A Dolphin's Curiosity: Individual Differences In Dolphins' Reactions To Surprising And Expectation-Violating Events, Malin Katarina Lilley

Master's Theses

Non-scientific literature consistently describes dolphins as “curious animals,” but there has been little systematic research on curiosity in dolphins. Curiosity in humans and certain non-human animal species, including birds and non-human primates, has been studied by examining individual differences in exploration and reactions to novel stimuli. Additionally, research has explored how human infants and non-human animals react when an event violates their expectations. The present study explored dolphins’ reactions to spontaneously surprising and expectation-violating stimuli. The reactions of dolphins, 15 bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and 6 rough-toothed (Steno bredanensis), at Gulf World Marine Park were analyzed in …

Grooming As An Agonistic Behavior In Garnett’S Small-Eared Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii), Jennie L. Christopher

Master's Theses

Social behaviors are a necessary component of group living and interactions between organisms. To correctly assess social interactions, researchers must be able to observe behaviors and interpret their function based on the behavior or the behavioral context. In primate species, grooming is often used to assess affiliations between group members and the consensus has been to always interpret grooming as an affiliative behavior. However, a number of avian, rodent and feline species have been shown to groom conspecifics aggressively. These instances of aggressive grooming appear most often when individuals are required to maintain close proximity to one another, such as …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of The Effect Of Violent Video Game Play On Capability For Suicide, Claire Houtsma

Master's Theses

According to the interpersonal theory of suicide, for an individual to be capable of engaging in suicidal behavior they must be fearless about death and possess elevated physical pain tolerance. It is believed that such capability is developed through exposure to painful and/or provocative events, which serve to habituate the individual to fear and pain. The current study sought to expand on previous studies to examine the impact of video game play on capability for suicide. Participants (n = 63) were randomly assigned to a violent or non-violent video game condition and fearlessness about death and pain tolerance were assessed …

Increasing Novel Vocalizations For Individuals With Asd Using A Voice Output Communication Aide, Shawn Kathleen Bishop

Master's Theses

This study aimed to extend the literature on VOCA as a means of producing increased verbal speech using a prompt delay and shaping methods. Intervention targeted novel vocalization for three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and limited vocal speech. All three participants increased vocalizations, but to varying degrees and only after a second phase where an echoic prompt was introduced. While the results vary across participants, increased vocal speech for all participants and high social validity suggest that VOCA-based interventions may be an appropriate intervention to increase vocal output for children with ASD.

Towards A Better Understanding Of Zebrafish Sleep Behavior, Kanza Musarrat Khan

Master's Theses

Sleep serves many vital functions in humans, ranging from energy restoration to memory consolidation and information integration. Sleep deprivation is linked to worsened physiological states and psychological conditions. Zebrafish are an emerging model in neurobehavioral research and have recently demonstrated great utility in the study of sleep. This teleost species possesses several of the same neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems that are involved in the regulation of sleep and waking rhythms in higher order mammals. Previous study of these animals has revealed a differential gene and proteomic expression following sleep deprivation through changes in environmental stimuli. The present study sought to …

The Effect Of Boat Type On Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Trucatus) Behavior In The Mississippi Sound, Maria Zapetis

Master's Theses

Increases in oceanic shipping are a global phenomenon, and a leading cause of concern for marine animal welfare. While it may be difficult to assess the effect of boat traffic on all species in all contexts, it is vital to report anthropogenic impacts where longitudinal data is available, and doubly so where a dearth of information exists. The purpose of this study is to describe how dolphin behavior changed in the presence of boats in the Mississippi Sound between 2006 and 2012, and more specifically, to detail how different boat types impacted dolphins’ behavioral states. This study is unique in …

Depressive Symptoms, Neuropsychological Functioning, And Self-Management In Youth With Spina Bifida: Direct, Mediating, And Reciprocal Pathways, Alexa Stern

Master's Theses

Although successful self-management of health care responsibilities is critical to meeting the developmental demands associated with the transition to adulthood in youth with spina bifida (SB), research on individual factors impacting self-management in this population is sparse. Given the increased risk for cognitive deficits and development of depressive symptoms in this population, this study utilized a longitudinal, multi-method, multi-informant design to examine two pathways through which depressive symptoms and neuropsychological dysfunction may be associated with medical autonomy and adherence in youth with SB.

Bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed that teacher-reported depressive symptoms significantly mediated the respective relationships between attention and working …

Phenomenological Study Of Adult Lived Experiences After The Loss Of A Parent And Its Effects On The Perception Of Those Adults, Victor Khaula

Master's Theses

Some things are never truly understood in life until you have the personal experience of living through them. This qualitative research was aimed at understanding the adult-lived experience after parental loss and how living through such an experience led those adults to change their perception about bereavement. The major question was “Why did the death of my mother communicate things to me that I never understood when I ministered to those who had lost their parents?” Experiencing the death of my mother was studied in relation to the lived experiences of three other Seventh-day Adventist adults from my university who …

The Effects Of Parental Functioning And Socioeconomic Status On Initial Child Psychopathology Symptoms And Treatment Outcomes Following A Brief Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group, Anna Ros Ros

Master's Theses

The present study will investigate the impact of parental psychopathology and socioeconomic status on the severity of child PTSD and depression symptoms at baseline, in addition to the impact on treatment effectiveness. First, the study will examine how the presence of parental PTSD, depression and hostility act as proximal risk factors for the baseline severity of child PTSD and depression symptoms. Further, the study will investigate how these proximal parental factors affect symptom reduction following intervention for these children. Additionally, the current study will examine how low socioeconomic status affects baseline severity of child PTSD and depression symptoms as well …

The Impact Of Chronic Stress On Childhood Obesity And The Protective Effects Of Parental Warmth, Laura M. L. Distel

Master's Theses

Mexican American children have the highest rates of obesity in the U.S. Mexican American children may experience chronic stress, which has been linked to child obesity. Hair cortisol accumulation has been implicated as a mechanism for this association. Highly sensitive parenting may buffer the harmful effects of chronic stress and hair cortisol on obesity. Thus, the aims of this project were to 1) identify the direct and indirect effects of chronic stress and hair cortisol on children's zBMI and 2) examine the protective effects of parental warmth. This study examined hair cortisol levels, zBMI and chronic stress of children ages …

Coping With Exposure To Community Violence: Assessing The Role Of Avoidance In Reducing Delinquency And Aggression In Low-Income Urban Adolescents, Cara Marie Diclemente

Master's Theses

Exposure to community violence has disabling effects on the mental health of youth in the US, with high rates of exposure for African American adolescents from underserved, urban communities. Past literature suggests that avoidant coping, specifically behavioral avoidance, may be most useful for youth exposed to uncontrollable stress. The current study assessed the utility of coping strategies in reducing aggression and delinquency in 267 sixth through eighth grade African American youth. First, confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure of coping: cognitive approach, behavioral approach, and avoidance. Next, moderated moderation findings showed that for boys, avoidance and approach strategies increased …

Impact Of Visitation With Incarcerated Fathers On Behavioral Adjustment Among Children In The Foster Care System, Lauren Ashley Hindt

Master's Theses

This study sought to examine whether in-person visitation with incarcerated fathers related to less behavioral problems among children in foster care. The sample consisted of 282 youth (M = 10.18, SD = 2.36 years). Data were collected from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling revealed paternal incarceration was associated with increased externalizing slope trajectories (ß1515 = .18, p = .025), but not internalizing. African American youth had lower externalizing slope trajectories compared to the remainder of the sample (ß20 = -.14, p = .032). The association between paternal incarceration and externalizing was attenuated …

Fear Of Missing Out: A Moderated Mediation Approach To Social Media Use, Brynn M. Huguenel

Master's Theses

This study explores whether fear of missing out (FOMO) mediates the relation between social networking site (SNS) use and negative mental health outcomes, with moderators of Facebook activities and individual-level characteristics included. Short-term longitudinal data was collected from undergraduate students (N=296). Mediation analyses indicated that intensity of Facebook use did not predict anxiety or depression, as mediated by FOMO. Further, Facebook activities did not moderate the relation between intensity of Facebook use and FOMO, and social comparison and social connectedness did not moderate the relations between FOMO and negative mental health outcomes. Post-hoc analyses showed that social connectedness moderated the …

Perceived Partner Sexism And Stigma Consciousness: How 'Prince Charming' Undermines Relationship Satisfaction, Danielle Lauren Kellogg

Master's Theses

Perceived discrimination (outside of the relationship) relates to negative relationship outcomes, moderated by stigma consciousness (DeHart, 2017). Women who report higher (versus lower) levels of perceived partner benevolent sexism (i.e., perceptions of one's partner's endorsement of sexist attitudes) experience more negative relationship outcomes as well (Hammond & Overall, 2013; Hammond & Overall, 2014; Hammond & Overall, 2015). In addition, relationship partners adopt more traditional gender roles after becoming parents, which fosters benevolent sexism (Trillingsgaard, Baucom, & Heyman, 2014). In this study, married or cohabiting women with children were randomly assigned to either a sexism manipulation or control condition, prior to …

Developmental Assets And Outcomes: An Analysis Of Male Serious Juvenile Offenders To Promote Evidence Based Approaches For Rehabilitation, Danielle Jordan Nesi

Master's Theses

Positive youth development is an approach that seeks to enhance and promote young people's developmental progress. Although there has been a shift toward asset building in rehabilitation of delinquent youth, research on positive youth development has historically focused on children at risk of adverse outcomes, rather than those who are already engaged in criminal behavior. Without knowledge about the distribution of assets among delinquent youth and the relations of these assets to outcomes later in life, it is unclear if interventions based on research of developmental assets among at-risk youth are appropriate for justice-involved youth. The 40 Developmental Assets (Search …

Children's Exposure To Violence Across Contexts: Profiles Of Family, School, And Community Witnessing And Victimization, Catherine Mary Rice

Master's Theses

Children residing in low-income, urban neighborhoods are at a disproportionately higher risk of exposure to violence (ETV) across multiple contexts compared to their peers, including witnessing violence and direct victimization. The many negative effects of ETV are compounded when youth experience ETV across multiple settings and when these experiences are chronic. Despite this, much of the research on ETV during childhood focuses on a single form of violence (e.g., family victimization or witnessing community violence). The current study examines patterns of frequency of ETV, including witnessing and victimization, across family, school, and community contexts, using person-centered methods to elucidate the …

Intersectional Stereotypes Of Race, Gender, And Facial Structure And Evaluative Judgments Of Leadership Ability And Workplace Fit, Avery Nichole Waklatsi

Master's Theses

Though the labor market is highly competitive and diverse, minority groups only hold 26.7%, of board positions, in companies on the Fortune 500 list (Alliance for Board Diversity Census, 2013). When tasked with hiring managers whom are presented with equivalent job qualifications, evaluators may rely on their subjective impressions in making an employment decision. The evaluator's subjective impressions may be informed by stereotypes of the groups to which applicants belong. The current study tests how stereotypes pertaining to race, gender, and facial structure inform evaluator judgments of managerial applicants' leadership ability and workplace fit. Leadership ability and workplace fit are …

Historical Trauma And Refugee Reception: Armenians And Syrian-Armenian Co-Ethnics, Nicole M. Campos

Master's Theses

This thesis considers the ways in which Armenian history has influenced integration of Syrian-Armenian refugees into Armenia due to the ongoing Syrian War. Ethnic Armenian outlooks were analyzed relative to the influx of Syrian refugees, particularly co-ethnic Syrian-Armenians. Field work in Armenia found a sustained cultural impression of Armenians’ Soviet membership and genocide. Findings suggest that recognizing the importance of history as it may or may not affect migration reception policies and attitudes is important to developing sustainable resettlement environments, at least until repatriation or third-country resettlement becomes an option to migrants. Ultimately, this thesis argues that more attention must …

Challenging Filipino Colonial Mentality With Philippine Art, Francesca V. Mateo

Master's Theses

For 350 years, the Philippines was colonized by Spain and the United States. The Philippines became a sovereign nation in 1946 yet, fifty years later, colonial teachings continue to oppress Filipinos due to their colonial mentality (CM.) CM is an internalized oppression among Filipinos in which they experience an automatic preference for anything Western—European or U.S. American—and rejection of anything Filipino. Although Filipinos show signs of a CM, there are Filipinos who are challenging CM by engaging in Philippine art. Philippine art is defined as Filipino-made visual art, literature, music, and dance intended to promote Philippine culture. This …

Using Digital Performance Feedback To Increase Teacher Treatment Integrity, Heather Marie Whipple

Master's Theses

In intervention research, assessing treatment integrity is important to establish functional control of the independent variable and make accurate decisions regarding treatment effectiveness. This study examined the effects of digital performance feedback (DPF) as a follow-up strategy for teachers to increase integrity. A multiple baseline design was utilized to determine the effectiveness of this strategy. Results from this study expanded previous literature on ways to promote treatment integrity and help move toward a science of intervention implementation. The primary dependent variable measured was treatment integrity. Student behavior was also assessed to determine if there is a relationship between treatment integrity …

The Effects Of Tootling Combined With Public Posting In High School Classrooms, Sarah Joan Wright

Master's Theses

A traditional tootling procedure was implemented along with a public posting component to determine the effects on academically engaged, disruptive, and passive off task behaviors in four general education high school classrooms. The study employed an A/B/B+C multiple baseline design across classrooms. The primary focus of the study was to assess potential increases in academically engaged behavior across intervention conditions. Students in the traditional tootling phase (B) were instructed to report on their peers’ positive, prosocial behaviors. At the end of the class period, the teacher silently read through the tootles and added the total toward the group goal. When …

Correspondence Between Haptic And Visual Perception Of Stand-On-Ability: Do Hills Look As Steep As They Feel?, Jonathan Kenealy Doyon

Master's Theses

Vision and haptics play a central role in perceiving environmental layout to guide action. Hajnal, Wagman, Doyon, and Clark (2016) demonstrated that visual perception of stand-on-ability is accurate compared to action capabilities, whereas haptic perception of stand-on-ability reliably underestimates action capabilities. This finding contradicts Gibson’s (1979) theory of equivalence in perceptual systems, which suggests that perception should be equivalent regardless of modality. Previous comparisons of visual and haptic perception tested the modalities in isolation. The current experiment directly compares visual to haptic perception of stand-on-ability by using one perceptual system to estimate the other. Observers viewed a surface set to …

Generalization Of Teachers' Use Of Effective Instruction Delivery Following In Situ Training, Joy Kathleen Wimberly

Master's Theses

The efficacy of in situ training for increasing Head Start teachers’ use of effective instruction delivery in Head Start classrooms while evaluating concomitant increases in Head Start students’ compliance was examined in the current study. Of further interest was the extent to which Head Start teachers maintained and generalized accuracy of effective instruction delivery in untrained settings. Four Head Start teachers and four Head Start students served as participants in this study. A multiple baseline across participants was used to test the effects of in situ training on teachers’ accuracy of effective instruction delivery and students’ initiation compliance. Data were …

Evaluating The Independent Group Contingency: “Mystery Student” On Improving Behaviors In Head Start Classrooms, Jamie Pasqua

Master's Theses

An increasing number of preschool children exhibit challenging behavior in the classroom. Head Start children are particularly at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders due to numerous risk factors. Unfortunately, some preschool teachers are ill equipped to manage the challenging behaviors that preschool children exhibit. The current study investigated the effects of the group contingency, “Mystery Student,” on improving preschool classroom behaviors. The Mystery Student intervention is a novel, independent group contingency, with an added randomized component. An ABAB reversal design was employed to determine how effective the Mystery Student intervention was at decreasing the disruptive behaviors and increasing the …

Understanding How Intentionally Unplugging From Cell Phones Shapes Interpersonal Relationships And The Undergraduate College Experience, Jadelin P. Felipe

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than …

Establishing A Link Between Personality And Social Rank In A Group Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Erin Elizabeth Frick

Master's Theses

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have been documented to possess personality traits that remain consistent over time (Highfill & Kuczaj, 2007) and across contexts (Kuczaj, Highfill, & Byerly, 2012). Such individual differences are thought to play an important role in various social contexts such as hierarchical dominance (Highfill & Kuczaj, 2010). The present study investigated the relationship between personality and social rank within a captive group of bottlenose dolphins housed at the Roatan Institute for Marine Science (RIMS). Social rank was established using questionnaires distributed to the RIMS experienced staff. Personality traits were derived from behavioral coding using context-specific …

An Assessment Of Number Representation In The Small-Eared Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii), Tiffany Aycia Woodard Baker

Master's Theses

In an effort to explain the underlying mechanisms of number representation, both the object-file and the approximate number system have been proposed. Despite the recognition in animals, both nonhuman and human, it remains unclear how numbers are represented cognitively or what system is employed. Furthermore, primate numerosity research has been almost exclusively conducted within haplorhine species (monkeys and apes). Within the strepsirhines (lemurs, lorises, and galagos), it has only been investigated in 15 diurnal and cathermal Malagasy primate species. No study to date has looked at this ability in either African strepsirhines or nocturnal primates. To examine the extent of …

Family Influences On Ethnic Identity Development Among Transracial Adoptees, Holly Mee Seong Stangle

Master's Theses

This study focused on the experiences of transracial adoptees in the United States, in an effort to examine the roles of cultural socialization and family influences on adoptees’ ethnic identity development. This study explored these issues through in-depth interviews with 11 adult transracial adoptees. Qualitative data analysis indicated various factors influencing participants’ ethnic identity development. Analysis compared levels of parental connection to adoptees’ birth culture, according to participants’ responses to interview questions. Analysis also compared socialization activities perceived by participants as meaningful to those that participants described as superficial or lacking in meaning. Themes included freedom of choice, opportunities for …