Psychology Commons^™

Assessing The ‘Whole Animal’: A Free Choice Profiling Approach, Françoise Wemelsfelder, Tony E.A. Hunter, Michael T. Mendl, Alistair B. Lawrence

Sentience Collection

The qualitative assessment of animal behaviour summarizes the different aspects of an animal’s dynamic style of interaction with the environment, using descriptors such as ‘confident’, ‘nervous’, ‘calm’ or ‘excitable’. Scientists frequently use such terms in studies of animal personality and temperament, but, wary of anthropomorphism, are reluctant to do so in studies of animal welfare. We hypothesize that qualitative behaviour assessment, in describing behaviour as an expressive process, may have a stronger observational foundation than is currently recognized, and may be of use as an integrative welfare assessment tool. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the inter- and intraobserver reliability …

Mood, Social Goals And Children's Outcome Expectancies, Bridgette Harper

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Past research suggests that emotions, arousal, and goals affect how children reason in social situations, but, thus far, there has been very little research on how these variables interact. It has been hypothesized that emotion could affect any area of social information processing directly, but it has also been hypothesized that emotion might have an indirect effect on social information processing. Therefore, a primary hypothesis of the current study was whether emotion influences each step of social information processing directly or whether emotion influences social information processing indirectly by first influencing goal orientations which, in turn, influence the other areas …

Body Length, Activity Level, And Avoidance Learning In Zebrafish Exposed To Nicotine As Embryos, Tim Lawrence

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Smoking continues to be a significant health problem in the United States and throughout the world. One of the many aspects of the health risks of smoking that have been investigated is the effect of maternal smoking on developing embryos. In particular, exposure of embryos to nicotine is believed to cause attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related problems in children. Both correlational research with humans and experimental research with animals have supported this belief. However, the mechanisms of the effect of nicotine on developing embryos are not fully understood. The zebrafish offers a useful model of the effects of nicotine on …

Spectral Sensitivity Of The Goldfish Erg And Optic Tectum Before And After Optic Nerve Damage, Jenel Pile

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is well known that visual neurons in lower vertebrates regenerate after damage. Thus, the visual system has served as a useful model for neural regeneration studies. However, most of the research on neural regeneration has focused on the recovery of anatomical connections; little has been done assessing the return of visual function. The purpose of this study was to determine the return of function of the goldfish optic nerve at four time intervals after damage (crush). An increment threshold procedure was used to obtain electroretinogram (ERG) and tectal responses to light onset and termination to various wavelengths of light. …

Parapsychological Beliefs And The Effects Of Exposure To Skeptical Inquiry, Augustine Seeger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Belief in parapsychological/paranormal phenomena is widespread in the American public (Gallup & Newport, 1991). Messer and Griggs (1989) reported that misinformation through the media, including uncritical reports of events and pseudodocumentaries about paranormal phenomena, is a possible reason for the substantial belief in the paranormal evidenced by the American public. The realm of the parapsychological is a particularly important area of research, especially to those who teach psychology. Messer and Griggs (1989) provided evidence that the prevalence of belief in the paranormal was also rather extensive in a sample of college students. Belief and involvement in certain paranormal phenomenon has …

Discrimination Of Computer-Graphic Stimuli By Mice: A Method For The Behavioral Characterization Of Transgenic And Gene-Knockout Models., T J Bussey, L M Saksida, L A Rothblat

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An automated method is described for the behavioral testing of mice in an apparatus that allows computer-graphic stimulus material to be presented. Mice responded to these stimuli by making a nose-poke toward a computer monitor that was equipped with a touchscreen attachment for detecting responses. It was found that C57BL/6 mice were able to solve single-pair visual discriminations as well as 3-pair concurrent visual discriminations. The finding that mice are capable of complex visual discriminations introduces the possibility of testing mice on nonspatial tasks that are similar to those used with rats, monkeys, and humans. Furthermore, the method seems particularly …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Physiologlcal Improvement In Female Cardiac Patients: Improving Effectiveness Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs, Linda A. Halvorsen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between a set or psychosocial variables and a set of physiological variables for a cohort of female cardiac rehabilitation patients. The independent variable set included initial denial, inlcnwl locus of control, perceived mental health status, and perceived physical health status. Dependent variables included change scores for metabolic equivalents and resting heat rate. The sample consisted of76 women who were enrolled in a Phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Demographic information including number of completed rehabilitation sessions, age, martial status, and diagnosis was provided. A series of bivariate correlations were conducted to …

The Music Channel: Integrating The Harp Into The Communication Process Of Children With Autism, Lori A. Kissinger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to determine if the harp could be used as a communication channel for children with autism. The two research questions guiding this study were: (1) Will a child with autism utilize the harp to try to communicate a message? And (2) if the harp is utilized by a child with autism as a communication channel, can the receiver decode the intended message? Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period. Five predominant responses emerged: (1) initial reaction to the instrument, (2) bonding with the instrument, (3) socialization through …

Paranormal Beliefs And Personality Traits, Heather Auton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study examined the non-skeptic view of paranormal belief, suggesting that belief in the paranormal does not indicate psychopathology. This study examines the non-pathological personality traits present in paranormal believers by using a broad personality test. One hundred and one participants completed the Paranormal Belief Scale (PBS) and the Personality Research Form (PRF) in order to examine the differences among the personality traits of high and low paranormal believers. High and low paranormal belief was determined by the participants overall score on the Paranormal Belief Scale. The results indicated that there were only two significant personality differences among high …

Disordered Eating And Its Psychosocial Correlates Among Hispanic Adolescent Females, Annette Santiago

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the incidence of disordered eating and its relationship with acculturation, depression, and body dissatisfaction among Hispanic adolescent females. One hundred and five students enrolled at two midwestem high schools completed a Student Demographic Questionnaire, the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (Marin & Gamba, 1996), the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), the Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory (Gamer, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983), and the Eating Attitudes Test (Gamer, Olmstead, Bohr, & Garfinkel, 1982). Two null hypotheses were examined. The first investigated the relationship among acculturation, depression, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating utilizing …

Thinness In Women: The Impact Of Female Body Weight On Relationship Satisfaction And Commitment, Wendy Walter Campbell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study represents an investigation of the impact of weight change on romantic relationships, and the hypothesized gender difference in the importance assigned to a partner's weight. Participants were 221 undergraduate students (148 women and 73 men) from a medium sized Midwestern University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which their weight in a photo image was increased, decreased or left unchanged. Upon inspecting the image, participants were asked to complete measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment (including among others, items from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale [DAS]), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale [KMSS], as well …

Treatment Staff Burnout: Measuring The Effect Of Administrative Support In Adult Male Prisons, Brett Garland

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the past few decades, criminologists have evaluated the success of treatment programs as the primary strategy to identify the best ways to lower offender recidivism. In doing so, they have repeatedly overlooked staff burnout as a potential barrier to rehabilitation. Because past research in human service agencies in general and prisons in particular has found organizational and administrative shortcomings to have the greatest impact on job strain and discomfort, this exploratory study examined the relationship between administrative support and the burnout of prison treatment staff. Burnout, the dependent variable, was measured by a modified version of an exhaustion index …

The Effects Of Stress On Contradiction Detection, Margaret Bencomo

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What happens to people's ability to process infixmalion when they arc experiencing stress? Both professionally and personally, we must rely on our nbility to critically evaluate information successfully. lf we do not detect inconsistencies, it may lead to the unintended acceptance of incorrect arguments and assumptions. Tile purpose of this study was to explore how stress innucnces people's ability to comprehend nnd detect contradictions. Stress was manipulated in terms oft imc pressure. Two hundred a11d twenty-one undergraduates enrolled in psychology classes at Indiana Stale U11ivcrsity participated in the study. One group was given only 60% of the average time necessary …

“In Our Own Words”: Exploring Female Psychosocial Student Development, Elizabeth Maier Marietta

Dissertations

On a continual basis student affairs professionals apply Chickering’s (1969) theory of psychosocial student development theory to their work with college students (Evans, Forney, & Guido-DiBrito, 1998; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991). In order to best serve their students it is, therefore, critical that the theory be accurate and representative. While Chickering’s theory has received much acclaim, it has also been criticized throughout the years, particularly in the area of female student development (Straub, 1987; Straub & Rodgers, 1986; Taub, 1995; Taub & McEwen,1991). The purpose of the present study is to supplement existing theory by moving away from conceptual assertions …

A Behavioral Systems Analysis Of Textbook Quality Improvement, Elizabeth T. Suarez

Dissertations

Behavioral systems analysis is a deliberate approach to systems-design that is intended to help a system achieve its ultimate goals. The present study used behavioral systems analysis in an attempt to improve the quality o f a college-level textbook. Formative and expert evaluations were used to assess the needs of the textbook. Once the needs were determined, a six-step process of analysis, goal specification, design, implementation, evaluation, and recycling was used to meet the objectives specified by the needs assessment.

The first objective of this study was to produce and publish an improved edition of a textbook and to begin …

The Making Of A Textbook On Behavior Analysis And Autism A Behavior Analytic Approach, Sebastien Bosch

Dissertations

After deciding that a need existed for writing a textbook on autism from a behavior analytic perspective, Dr. Malott and I developed Behavior Analysis. Autism and Related Disabilities (BAARD) for use by the students enrolled in the autism practicum at Western Michigan University. As in a circular relationship, the practicum students evaluated and guided the subsequent revisions of the manuscript, and the revisions influenced the subsequent evaluations. BAARD covers all the principles and concepts of behavior analysis that are relevant to treatments and issues in autism and related disabilities and numerous treatments and phenomena specific to developmental disabilities.

During its …

Analysis Of Factors Involved In Ratings Of Treatment Acceptability For Trichotillomania, Amy J. Elliott

Dissertations

Based on the literature, trichotillomania (or chronic hair pulling) appears to be responsive to behavioral interventions, with habit reversal as the most promising intervention. Habit reversal has been shown effective with children and adults of varying levels of severity, but some have questioned the generality and acceptability of the procedure. Little is known about the acceptability of interventions for habit disorders. These two research studies were designed to answer questions regarding the acceptability of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for trichotillomania and to expand the conceptual knowledge of treatment acceptability.

Study 1 compared the acceptability of four interventions targeting trichotillomania. The …

Quality Of Life Factors Among Recovering Alcoholics, George Edwin Compton Jr.

Dissertations

The inspiration for undertaking the current research came from the Student Investigator’s own experience of 19 years in recovery from alcoholism. During his early years in graduate school, the Student Investigator witnessed occasional misunderstandings among some academics and helping professionals regarding the nature of alcoholism, and, specifically, the tasks involved in sustaining enduring recovery from alcoholism. Thus, this dissertation research, which has sought to examine, through qualitative research methodology, the factors involved in achieving and sustaining quality of life in extended recovery from alcoholism was undertaken.

Several authors have noted the need for research which focuses on long-term recovery from …

Executive Coaching As An Individually Tailored Consultation Intervention: Does It Increase Leadership?, Sheila Kampa-Kokesch

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to: (a) consolidate/critique the executive coaching practice literature and empirical research to determine what is known about executive coaching as an individual consultation intervention, and (b) provide additional knowledge about outcomes by testing whether executive coaching affects leadership as measured by the MLQ 5x (Short Form) (Bass & Avolio, 1995).

Twenty-seven coaches, 50 clients (pre/early- or post/later coaching), and 62 direct-report/peers participated. Coaches provided demographic information, invited client participation, and distributed surveys to clients. Clients provided demographic information, rated themselves on a leadership instrument, and invited direct-report/ peer participation. Direct-report/peers rated clients’ leadership using …

Understanding The Relationships Among Counseling Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, Developmental Level, Coursework, Experience, And Counselor Performance, Catherine E. Kocarek

Dissertations

Bandura’s (1977, 1982) Self-Efficacy Theory and later Social Cognitive Theory (1986) provided the theoretical framework for understanding counselor self-efficacy (CSE). Bandura’s theory has been utilized in many different areas; however, in this study the focus was counselor self-efficacy (CSE) and its importance to counselor training. Variables within the CSE literature such as anxiety, trainee developmental level, amount of training, counseling experience, and counselor performance were identified. The first purpose of this study was to use the first five variables to predict their influences on counselor performance. The second purpose was to examine two variables, CSE and developmental level, at three …

Imagining Physically Impossible Self-Rotations: Geometry Is More Important Than Gravity, Sarah H. Creem, Maryjane Wraga, Dennis R. Proffitt

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous studies found that it is easier for observers to spatially update displays during imagined self-rotation versus array rotation. The present study examined whether either the physics of gravity or the geometric relationship between the viewer and array guided this self-rotation advantage. Experiments 1-3 preserved a real or imagined orthogonal relationship between the viewer and the array, requiring a rotation in the observer's transverse plane. Despite imagined self-rotations that defied gravity, a viewer advantage remained. Without this orthogonal relationship (Experiment 4), the viewer advantage was lost. We suggest that efficient transformation of the egocentric reference frame relies on the representation …

The Negative Halo Effect Of Oppositional Defiant Behaviors On Teacher Ratings Of Adhd: Impact Of Child Gender, David A. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored one potential reason for differences in diagnostic rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between genders: teacher-based rating bias. Abikoff, Courtney and Pelham (1993) showed elementary teachers two tapes of a male child in a fourth grade classroom, then had the teachers complete ADHD and ODD rating scales. One tape depicted a normal child; another depicted a child exhibiting either ADHD or ODD behaviors. Rating comparisons from the ADHD v. ODD tapes showed biases: the ADHD tape was rated higher than the ODD tape on ADHD rating scales and lower on ODD rating scales; while the ODD tape …

Identifying The Motivations Of African American Volunteers Working To Prevent Hiv/Aids, Glenn D. Reeder, Denise Mclane Davison, Keshia L. Gipson, Matthew S. Hesson-Mcinnis

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Community-based organizations that are engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention and support services often rely on volunteers. This article describes the development of a 22-item inventory that measures the motivations of volunteers who deliver HIV prevention education in the African American community. In a statewide survey of volunteers (N = 102), the two strongest motivations for volunteer activity were concern for the African American community and a desire to understand the causes and consequences of the epidemic. These motives predicted the frequency that volunteers held discussions about HIV/AIDS with members of their community. Discussion focuses on the relevance of the results for …

A Model For Hiv/Aids Risk Behaviors Of Students In Armenia, Talin Babikian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Without a cure in now its third decade, AIDS is a concern for both the medical and social science disciplines. Most at risk for a nationwide AIDS epidemic are developing countries, which often lack the necessary resources and knowledge to minimize the spread of the disease. There are an estimated 1500 HIV cases in Armenia, 81.5% of which occur in the 20-39 age group. Armenia’s current economic and political instability, increase in sexually transmitted infections (STI), prostitution, and injecting drug use, and the alarming incidence rates in neighboring countries amplify its risk for a national epidemic.

The goals of this …

New Teachers’ Perceptions Of Discipline-Related School Problems And Teacher Satisfaction, Amy L. Kavanaugh

Dissertations

Satisfaction The public is concerned with school safety because of recent school shootings resulting in multiple deaths. Educators are concerned that perceptions of school safety may affect new teacher attrition.

Three questions were examined in this study: (1) What is the trend of new teachers’ perceptions of discipline-related school problems? (2) Do new teachers’ perceptions of school problems vary by teacher gender, school level, size, location, and percentage of minority students?, and (3) Are new teachers’ perceptions of school problems related to their professional satisfaction?

National data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics through the Schools and Staffing …

The Effect Of Alcohol Consumption And Alcohol Expectancy On Women's Responses To A Date Rape Analogue, Beth A. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that two factors, alcohol consumption and having a sexual assault history, increases a woman's risk of being sexually assaulted; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is not yet fully understood. The majority of studies in this area of research have relied on self-report data or vignettes studies in which the effect of alcohol is examined by manipulating the content of the character's beverage. The purpose of present study was to better understand the effects of alcohol consumption and sexual assault history on perceptions of sexual assault by conducting a laboratory study in which 80 female participants consumed an …

A Study Of Directorial Choices In Tennessee Williams' Play Out Cry Focused On Selected Expressionistic Elements, Joyce A. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Tennesse Williams' play, OUT CRY, uses many of the expressionistic and symbolic elements he used successfully throughout his career. The characters of OUT CRY struggle with the fear of isolation, of entrapment and of sexual relationship. The aim of my thesis is to focus on selected expressionistic elements in OUT CRY and to elaborate on the choices I made as a director in using the expressionistic elements to convey the theme of fear inherent in the play.

I have highlighted the methodology of director Harold Clurman in my analysis of the script. Additionally, I adhered to theory of director Francis …

Attitudes Toward Suicidal Women Based On Gender Of The Participant And Race Of The Target Figure., Carrie E. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gender on attitudes toward Black and White suicidal females.

Participants included 37 Caucasian graduate students who completed demographic questionnaires, Suicide Behavior Questionnaires (SBQ) (Ellis & Jones, 1996), and one of two scenarios with a modified version of the Suicide Attitude Vignette Experience Scale (SAVE) (Stillion, White, Edwards, & McDowell, 1989). The research design was a 2 (sex of participant) x 2 (suicide ideation of participant) x 2 (race of target figure) independent groups factorial. Independent ANOVAS were performed to interpret the significance of main and interaction effects.

No main …

Affectional Orientation, Sex Roles, And Reasons For Living., Shana Valere Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research gender, affectional/sexual orientation, and sex roles to determine how people respond to the Expanded Reasons for Living Scale by Linehan, Goodstein, Nielsen, and Chiles (1983). This study used the Bem Sex Role Inventory, short form (Bem, 1981) to assess androgynous and nonandrogynous people.

Results from the statistical analysis revealed that bisexuals had the lowest reasons for living score followed by gay men/lesbians, and then heterosexuals on the Total RFL, as well as on the Responsiblility to Family and Moral Objections subscales. On the Child-Related Concerns subscale heterosexuals had a higher RFL score …

Characteristics And Qualities That Are Important To Middle School-Aged Students In Choosing Friends, Kristin R. Honaker-Carter

Student Work

This study investigates the characteristics that are important to middle school students when they choose their friends. The subjects for this research study are seventh, eighth, and ninth graders with ages ranging from 11-15 years old.

The population surveyed was limited to 47 middle-school aged children whose parents responded to a flyer posted in one of two college universities. The study design was a 14-question value survey using a Likert scale. The questions relate to the importance of various characteristics in choosing friends. The survey also included demographic questions pertaining to the subject’s gender, grade level, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and …