Psychology Commons^™

Disentangling Instrumental And Reactive Aggression In The Competitive Reaction Time Task And Their Associations With Factors Of Meanness In Psychopathy, Ashley Michelle Poston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aggression is often subtyped into reactive and instrumental aggression. Reactive aggression occurs in response to some form of provocation and is often accompanied by anger. Instrumental aggression is not provoked and is relatively unemotional. Existing aggression paradigms primarily measure reactive aggression, and the laboratory measurement of instrumental aggression has proved challenging. This study modified the competitive reaction time task to include an entire block of instrumental aggression trials, in addition to the standard block of reactive trials, in effort to create a single paradigm within which both reactive and instrumental aggression can be measured in the laboratory. Psychopathy is a …

Comparing Forgetting Rates Between Pattern Separation And Item Recognition, Rhiannon N. Soriano Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recent theories of forgetting posit that hippocampally-based memory representations are more prone to be forgotten due to decay, while extra-hippocampal representations are more likely to be forgotten due to interference (Hardt, Nader, & Nadel, 2013; Sadeh & Pertzov, 2020). The current study examined this hypothesis by comparing the rate of forgetting between pattern separation, a hippocampally-based process, and item recognition, a process that is reliant on both hippocampal and extra-hippocampal structures. It was hypothesized that pattern separation would display more forgetting due to decay because it is a hippocampally-based process, while item recognition would display more forgetting due to interference …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Loneliness And Binge Eating Symptoms, Kimberly Stevens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Loneliness is implicated in several mental health conditions and may also be linked to eating pathology, like binge eating symptoms (e.g., loss-of-control eating). However, the pathways by which loneliness might be associated with binge eating symptoms are less well understood. Preliminary evidence suggests perceived stress may be a key explanatory pathway. Specifically, perceived stress mediates the impact of loneliness on other mental health outcomes and is associated with increased risk of binge eating symptoms. This study investigated relationships between loneliness, perceived stress, and binge eating symptoms and tested whether heightened levels of binge eating was accounted for by increases in …

The Impact Of Alzheimer Disease On Semantic Knowledge, Maileen G. Ulep

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The research furthers the understanding of the impact of Alzheimer disease (AD) on cognition and the organization of semantic knowledge in the brain, which might contribute to the development of diagnostic and staging tools, and interventions to palliate cognitive deficits. The disruption of semantic knowledge in AD is well documented in the literature. Much of the existing research focuses on the general impact AD has on semantic knowledge. This study explores the impact of AD on specific domains of knowledge, chiefly, living kinds and artifacts, critical to ordinary functioning. The content, organization and structure of the investigated domains of knowledge …

Beyond The Numbers: A Deeper Dive Into The Dearth Of Girls And Women In Stem, Jennifer John Buck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite decades of research attempting to better understand the dearth of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), gender imbalances persist in many STEM fields. This is particularly the case in math-intensive STEM fields. The current program of research used mixed-methods research to better understand these inequities. The first paper identified gender and ethnic variation in how undergraduates reason about STEM inequities. The second paper found that how emerging adults narrate “turning points” in their relationship with math was associated with their current math outcomes and future plans to pursue math. The final paper demonstrated that how …

Methods For Teaching Mindfulness Within The Workplace, Gerrel March

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past few years, the world has been shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advancements that have contributed towards work-life imbalances. Now more than ever, organizations are focusing on improving mental health and well-being. This understanding holds value towards the hospitality industry as employee wellbeing has a direct link towards consumer experience. Considering the nature of the business, employees endure distress resulting from emotional labor, long work hours, etc, understanding how organizations can improve well-being is critical. This paper attempts to make significant contribution towards understanding both individual and organizational outcomes of mindfulness, best practices, and potential limitations …

How Medical Students Use Social Support To Cope With Burnout: A Grounded Theory Approah, Michelle Nicole I. Janeo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Medical education to become a physician is a rigorous training process resulting in high rates of burnout in medical students. Research on burnout in human service providers results in negative impacts on professionalism, well-being, and the future healthcare workforce. Previous research investigating strategies to combat burnout has demonstrated that resilience is a dominant explanation for recovery from burnout. There is limited data exploring how social support is used by medical students as a resource to cope with the demands of training. Considering that social support is one primary factor that contributes to resilience, it is important to understand the process …

Stability Of Neurocognitive Abilities In Heterogeneous Subgroups Of Schizophrenia, Megan L. Becker Wright

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Considerable work has been devoted to characterizing the latent structure of cognition in schizophrenia (SZ) to understand important clinical outcomes associated with generalized or specific deficits but findings are limited in a number of ways. Previous work has not assessed bifactor and other complex models of cognition in SZ, which might provide a better understanding of the structure of cognitive abilities. It is also unclear whether the latent structure of cognitive abilities is similar between men and women with SZ or whether the latent structure of cognitive abilities is stable over time with repeated assessment. These limitations must be addressed …

Evaluating The Scl-90-R For Use In Collegiate Athletes, Elena Gavrilova

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study examines psychometric properties of the Symptom Checklist 90 – Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1994) in collegiate athletes. The SCL-90-R is one of the most widely utilized measures of broad psychiatric distress. Current literature, however, suggests its factor structure varies across populations (Ardakani et al., 2016; Bakhshaie et al., 2011; Olsen et al., 2004; Ronan et al., 2000; Sereda & Dembitskyi, 2016; Smits et al., 2014; Urbán et al., 2016). Although the SCL-90-R has been previously utilized in studies involving athletes, the psychometric properties of this scale have yet to be investigated in this population. This study examined the …

Awareness And Knowledge On Aging And Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Service User And Provider Perspectives In Southern Nevada, Brandon C. Ranuschio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) is a condition that can affect up to 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and present as a cluster of neurocognitive difficulties in domains such as attention, memory, concentration, language, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, and even motor skills. The current study intended to identify awareness and knowledge of HAND among middle-aged and older PLWH and their healthcare or service providers in Southern Nevada. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, participants from the community were recruited to complete a survey that assessed awareness and knowledge of HAND. The survey also assessed the personal experiences of PLWH …

Understanding The Role Of Identity Salience In The Relationship Between Experience Of Ethnic/Racial Discrimination And Mental Health Symptomatology, Michelle Strong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ethnic identity salience is shown to be a protective factor in the negative impact of discrimination on mental well-being in BIPOC. However, the extent to which ethnic identity salience is a protective factor in specific BIPOC is unclear. The current study examined whether ethnic identity salience would be equally protective against the negative effects of discrimination on depression and anxiety symptoms in LatinX/Hispanic, Black/African American, and AAPI groups. It included N =168 ethno-racially diverse college students (e.g., AAPI n = 59, Hispanic/LatinX n = 72, and Black/African n = 37 American college students). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine …

The Antagonistic Tetrad And Romantic Attachment Styles, Kayli H. Wrenn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Both attachment styles and personality traits are characterized by enduring patterns of inner experience and behaviors. There are four primary attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. In adult romantic relationships, attachment styles are influenced by the attachment behavioral system, caregiving system, and sexual/reproductive system. In comparison, the Antagonistic Tetrad is a constellation of four overlapping but distinct personality constructs: Machiavellianism, grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism. These four traits include interpersonal features such as a lack of empathy, aggressiveness, and manipulation. Using a regression-based approach, this research study examined the associations between the Antagonistic Tetrad, adult romantic attachment styles, …

Utilizing Nonparametric Statistical Methods To Inform Equitable And Inclusive Mtss Models Of School Attendance/Problems, Victoria Bacon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School attendance/problems are a key focus of educational policy. Critical approaches to educational policy stress the importance of nontraditional methods that are inclusive of the needs of students from marginalized or minoritized groups. Students in these groups are already at an increased risk for school attendance problems due to complex systems interactions, and bolstering protective factors at the school level may be one way to promote inclusivity and equity. MTSS models are well suited to address attendance, and bolstering protective factors on a large-scale would fall under Tier 1 preventative efforts. School climate is one such protective factor that could …

Cognitive Testing For Sport Concussion: The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing (Impact), Julia E. Maietta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sport concussion is among the most common injuries for an athlete to experience during sport participation. Because of the complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain during and after concussion, symptoms can be heterogeneous in presence and severity. Although most acute symptoms (e.g., headache, slowed processing speed, loss of consciousness, irritability, depression, anxiety) resolve within seven to 10 days for most athletes, there is evidence that higher initial symptom burden and other genetically based differences can lead to longer symptom duration and complicated recovery post-concussion. Because structural changes that commonly occur as a result of concussion (e.g., diffuse axonal injury) …

An In-Depth Examination Of The Literature On Early Pubertal Timing And Disordered Eating In Women And Girls: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Megan Marie Shope

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: Extant data indicate that earlier onset of puberty increases risk for disordered eating symptoms in girls and women. However, whether earlier pubertal timing is predictive of all disordered eating symptoms, or whether it exerts differential effects across distinct symptoms (e.g., body dissatisfaction versus binge eating), remains unclear given inconsistencies in the literature and the lack of a systematic analysis. A meta-analytic approach can overcome these limitations by providing pooled estimates of early pubertal timing on disordered eating symptoms and testing for methodological moderators (i.e., disordered eating outcome/symptom type, measurement of pubertal timing, age of sample, type of sample, study …

Family Functioning In Youth With Bipolar Disorder, Kayla Fobian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Family functioning encompasses a family’s ability to maintain an environment that supports and benefits each member of the family. Among families of youth with a bipolar disorder (BD), family functioning is impaired compared to healthy controls. However, few studies have examined family functioning across psychopathology in youth. Additionally, few studies have examined which symptoms (depressive, manic, or externalizing) are most strongly associated with family functioning. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript is to benchmark impairments in family functioning in youth with BD compared to youth with other psychiatric disorders and to examine the differential influence of depressive, manic, and comorbid …

Changes In Cognitive Networks As A Result Of Sport-Related Concussion, Grace J. Goodwin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given the high prevalence of concussion in sports, assessment of cognition has become a standard part of athletics, and results are used to inform return to play decisions. Neurocognitive measures (e.g., ImPACT) generate cognitive composite scores from individual subtests, and these scores are compared at baseline and post-concussion. Declines in scores provide evidence for concussive injury, and athletes undergo repeated assessments until their scores and symptoms improve. Recent research suggests that changes in the associations between test scores may provide important information about cognitive recovery. A network framework may help identify post-concussive cognitive changes that may not be apparent when …

The Effects Of Executive Function Between Anxiety And Math Achievement In Adolescents, Mckenzie Hall

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Anxiety in Children can develop into pervasive disorders in adulthood if not treated. Research shows dysfunctional Executive Function (EF) and anxiety are both shown to have a negative impact on math achievement in children and adolescents (Trezise & Reeve, 2018; Kalaycioglu, 2015; Owens, Stevenson, Hadwin & Norgate, 2012). Chung, Weyandt, and Swentosky (2014) found biological and neuropsychological support for EF as a unitary and multifaceted processor for regulating our emotional states as well as our daily procedures. Anderson’s (2002) model of Executive Control System (ECS) allows the factors of EF to be examined using a developmental approach towards EF processes. …

First-Day Expositional Interviews, Iterative Training, And Participant Skill In Descriptive Experience Sampling, Cody Michio Kaneshiro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Descriptive experience sampling (DES) is a method of describing inner experience (i.e., directly apprehended thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc.). DES includes “iterative” sequences of random, natural-environment, beeper-driven sampling of inner experiences followed by an expositional interview that seeks to apprehend and describe those inner experiences in high-fidelity. DES investigators claim that these iterative sequences increase the participant’s DES skills. The present study tests that claim by investigating whether participants demonstrate higher skills in their very-last-sample interviews than they exhibited in their own very-first-sample interviews. The very-last-sample and very-first-sample interviews of six participants were quantitatively and qualitatively examined. We found that participants …

Stigma Towards Sex Workers In The Clinical Setting: Sixteen Guidelines For Therapists To Improve Their Practice And Provide Ethical Mental Health Services To Sex Workers, Alessandra Lanti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study qualitatively investigates therapists’ attitudes toward their clients who work in the sex industry and assesses sex workers’ perception of these attitudes in therapy. Two separate surveys are used to assess attitudes. One is distributed to mental health professionals, and it uses clinical vignettes to evaluate the approaches used in therapy where the variable of “profession” is manipulated. The second survey is distributed to sex workers to evaluate their experiences in therapy. Then, indicators of persistent attitudes in the narrative responses are identified, organized into groups, and surveys are compared. Results suggest that participants in the survey distributed to …

Predicting And Mitigating Reactance Impact On Attitude And Behavioral Intention, Matthew Ryan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At times messaging may be of an instructive nature that can be perceived as an attempt to threaten or limit an individual’s freedom. This freedom limitation can range from individual choice to physical requirements. How a message is framed, or positioned, is very important. In certain instances, even when the message has the best intentions, if framed incorrectly can have the opposite, or boomerang, effect on people. This state is known as psychological reactance. When invoked, consumers will act in a way that eliminates the threat of freedom to restore balance. Such a state can also lead to negative implications …

Attentional Focus And The Development Of Skilled Performance, Harjiv Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A central question in the development of skilled movement is: how a performer should focus their attention while preparing for the execution of a motor skill? Considerable evidence has shown that directing attention towards an intended movement effect (i.e., external focus) results in performance benefits relative to focusing on body movements (i.e., internal focus). While most of the previous research has emphasized the effects of internal versus external foci, evidence also suggests that external foci located at greater distances from the body (distal foci) are more effective than external foci located in greater proximity to the body (proximal foci) and …

What Happens In Vegas: The Influence Of Las Vegas On High-Risk Attitudes And Behaviors, Marissa Tiemann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The probability of victimization is affected by various factors, such as child abuse, a history of victimization, sexual assault, substance abuse, and risky behaviors. Previous research has attributed differences in victimization risk to differences in lifestyle. Overtly sexual cultures like Las Vegas, Nevada, could impact the adoption of risky behaviors (e.g., binge drinking, casual sex, and substance abuse) that could increase victimization risks. This study seeks to understand the impact of the city of Las Vegas on adopting high risk sexual attitudes and behaviors by examining the length of time an individual has spent in Las Vegas. This study used …

The Occupational Therapy Approach To Pain Treatment: A Pain Curriculum, Rosalee Howell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is within the scope of the occupational therapy profession to treat patients experiencing pain. The holistic approach used to assess and treat patients to improve functional performance is vital in treating pain. The focus is to decrease the detrimental impact of pain on the patient’s mental health, enhancing their ability to function in social and vocational roles. However, education is not adequately addressed in occupational therapy programs and is vital in preparing clinicians to meet the patient’s needs effectively.

This Doctoral Capstone was developed to highlight the importance and the benefit of education in preparing clinicians to treat patients …

Psychometric Properties Of The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire: Factor Analysis And Measurement Invariance By The Intersection Of Race And Gender, Jessica H. Habashy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) was originally validated in non-Hispanic White women and over the past two decades has become widely used as an eating pathology screening measure in college students. However, the original factor structure has generally failed to replicate across most studies, particularly among culturally diverse samples. The current study examined the factor structure and measurement invariance of the EDE-Q in a large sample of gender and racially/ethnically diverse college students. Participants included a racially and ethnically diverse sample of men and women from two universities. I first conducted exploratory factory analysis (EFA) to examine the factor …

Identifying Risk Factors For Ptsd Symptom Clusters In Maltreated, Multiracial Youth Using Nonparametric Modeling, Mallory Constantine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Multiracial youth are one of the most at-risk racial groups for child maltreatment. Multiracial individuals are also more likely to report mental health concerns than other racial or ethnic groups. This study aimed to identify demographic and psychological risk factors that are unique to multiracial, maltreated youth with respect to PTSD symptoms (i.e., re-experiencing, hyperarousal, avoidance) through classification and regression tree (CART) analyses. Participants included 99 multiracial, maltreated youth directly following their placement in an emergency group shelter due to substantiated maltreatment. The first hypothesis was that female gender, English first language, questions related to guilt and self-blame, and depressive …

The Experience Of Self-Coherence: Self-Coherence As The Hub Of All Needs, April Ursula Fox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-coherence as the hub of all needs is a novel proposition made by Carol Dweck (2017), and not yet further explored. While supporting self-coherence with a comprehensive review of its presence within behavioral sciences, Dweck does not dive deeper into it, and offers an invitation for further research of its workings. In this study I respond to that invitation. I design a continuation to her theory. I also expand her theory to include what I have found to be missing, but essential, additional components that cannot be ignored within the context of self-coherence as a master sensor of needs. Finally, …

The Role Of Working Memory In Fraction Arithmetic: Eye Movements During A Dual Task, Krystal Kamekona-Mendoza

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fractions are first introduced at the elementary school age, yet difficulty with fraction computation (i.e., adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) continues to persist throughout adulthood. Research suggests that fraction knowledge is predictive of future math achievement and success in algebra. Given the early age at which this concept is introduced and the critical role that it plays in future mathematics success, it is important to better understand the cognitive mechanisms involved in fraction computation and why students continue to struggle with this concept. The role of executive function (e.g., attention, inhibition, working memory) in fraction arithmetic is complex. While working …

Feasibility And Efficacy Of Virtual Darkness In Reducing Intra-Individual Sleep Variability Among Young Adults With Insomnia, Samantha Nicole Sherwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

BackgroundInsomnia impacts 30% of people and is associated with increased risk for medical and psychiatric illness. However, pharmacological treatments for sleep yield mixed results and often result in undesirable side effects indicating a need for novel insomnia interventions. Sleep patterns also demonstrate high intra-individual variability which may be associated with greater daytime impairment, and sleep-wake cycles are strongly affected by the timing of exposure to blue-green wavelength light. Virtual darkness, a novel intervention, blocks blue wavelength light from reaching the eye to simulate actual darkness on retinal cells sensitive to light. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to …

Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health Diagnosis Of Maltreated Youth, Shadie Burke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Racial/ethnic marginalized youth are more likely to receive a misdiagnosis of a mental health disorder than their White peers. Misdiagnosis contributes to existing disparities for racial/ethnic marginalized groups by leading to longer durations of untreated and worsening mental health symptoms. For maltreated youth, receiving a misdiagnosis can lead to a failure to connect with appropriate mental health services, medication regimens, therapeutic foster homes, and academic and developmental resources. To date, very few empirical studies have identified disparities in mental health diagnosis among racial/ethnic marginalized maltreated youth. The present study examined two key research questions: (1) what racial/ethnic disparities in diagnoses …