Psychology Commons^™

Pavlivian Conditioning To Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia As Indicated By Glycemic Response Motor Activity And Anxiety, Jermaine Dionte Jones

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this experiment was to demonstrate the responses to stimuli predicting the onset of hypoglycemia {HG), specifically the overt behavioral and glycemic conditioned responses to insulin-produced HG. When drug-opposite compensatory responses become associated with situational and environmental cues that predict drug administration, compensatory mechanisms can be elicited solely by drugassociated cues. Several studies have been conducted to determine the conditioned bloodglucose responses as elicited by stimuli predicting hypoglycemia. However, only a few studies have examined the behavioral conditioned responses associated with hypoglycemia. Insulin-induced HG and the elevated plus maze (EPM) procedure were utilized to determine the direction of …

The Efffect Of Post Identification Feedback And Delay On The Witnessing Experience, Matthew E. Cornwell

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Schizophrenics, Cyborgs And The Pitfalls Of Posthumanism, Angela Woods

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Editors' Introduction]

In Schizophrenics, Cyborgs and the Pitfalls of Posthumanism, Angela Woods invites us to revisit two canonical analyses of the postmodern: Fredric Jameson's Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism and Donna Haraway's A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s. Jameson and Haraway introduced to contemporary cultural criticism two posthumanist icons: the schizophrenic, a pathologized victim of postmodernity, and the cyborg, a vision of strategic posthuman subjectivity. In her timely and critical analysis of these articles, Woods challenges the established notion of an oppositional relationship between the schizophrenic and the cyborg. She turns …

Euthanasia: An Exploration Of Public Opinion, Debra M. Babylon

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The acceptance of euthanasia is examined using the 1972-2002 GSS cumulative dataset. The dataset contains a total of 43,698 respondents. The euthanasia question, "Should a terminally ill patient be allowed the right to die?" was asked beginning in 1977. The number of respondents answering the euthanasia question totals 22,039. The independent variables age, race, gender, political view, religious affiliation, and education were reviewed to assess their impact on support of euthanasia. Additionally, in order to test the "slippery slope" hypothesis, the abortion question, "Should abortion be allowed under any circumstance?" was added to the independent variable list. Cross tabulation was …

Perceptions Of Diversity Among Current And Former Students And Faculty In Three Graduate Programs, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the perceptions of diversity among current graduate students, former graduate students, and current faculty in three graduate programs. Sense of belonging, universality, openness to experience, diversity experiences, and perceptions of diversity were examined. Participants included 64 current students, 30 former students, and 15 faculty members in Old Dominion University's M.S. and Ph.D. programs in psychology and the Virginia Consortium Program's Psy.D. program. Solicited by either email or postal mail, participants completed an online survey that assessed demographic details and the variables of interest. After addressing data issues, Pearson's r examined the relationships among the dependent variables. ANOVAs …

How The U.S. Military's Equal Opportunity Training Program Impacts Operational Readiness And Effectiveness: An Exploratory Study, James R. Camic

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Department of Defense is dedicated to creating an environment that recognizes individuals' diverse backgrounds. The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) was developed to train Equal Opportunity Advisors (EOAs), implement training programs at the unit level, and evaluate the Equal Opportunity Climate of the military. Many of the programs developed at DEOMI were developed with the belief that diversity appreciation and prejudice avoidance (DAPA) lead to combat readiness and operational effectiveness (CROE).

A qualitative, grounded theory approach was employed to help understand how DAP A is related to CROE. Interviews were conducted with retired EOAs in which they related …

An Empirical Study Of Highly Personal Topics Involved In Self-Disclosure, Alicia Monique Mathews

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Self-disclosure refers to what individuals reveal about themselves to others. This topic has been a focus of research by social psychologists, communication scientists and others for several decades. The current study aims to contribute to research in this area by examining the topics of self-disclosure of college students. Archival data previously collected from college students were used. Research participants were asked to recall a highly personal experience when answering questions about their self-disclosure behaviors dealing with the targets of mother, father, same-sex friend and dating partner. The study developed a taxonomy of topics that were identified by college students as …

Emotional Intelligence And Coping, Veena A. Nair

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the set of abilities involved in emotion processing and regulation. The current study examined the relationship between trait EI and general intelligence, personality, and coping. It also investigated whether trait EI was a significant predictor of problem focused and emotion focused coping strategies after controlling for general intelligence and personality, and examined whether trait EI predicted self-reported outcome of a stressful situation and academic achievement. Participants were 106 college students who were individually administered the two subtest version of Wechsler's Abbreviated Scale of lntelligence (WASI), the Schutte Self-Report Inventory of EI (SSRI), the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised …

A Community Assessment Of Drinking And Driving Predictors: Alcohol Outlets And Socioeconomic Factors, Cynthia L. Shier

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine drinking and driving behaviors among different socioeconomic status neighborhoods. This study included a telephone survey that measured demographics, characteristics of the environment, and self-report alcohol use. In addition to the telephone survey, the researcher examined archival data such as alcohol-related traffic crash reports. Geographical information systems (GIS) programming was used to graphically plot alcohol-related traffic crash locations simultaneously with the locations of alcohol outlets. A review of the literature on drinking and driving was inconsistent; therefore, the researcher hypotheses were chosen to clear up some of these contradictions. The hypothesis that alcohol …

Childcare Arrangements As Related To Perceptions Of Job Stress Work-Family Conflict And Parenting Stress, Joy B. Wright

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sixty-nine male and 40 female full-time employees of the Ford Motor company completed a survey assessing the relationships between satisfaction with childcare (i.e., overall satisfaction with childcare, satisfaction with cost, satisfaction with provider, satisfaction with hours of operation, and satisfaction with location) and overall stress, job stress, work-family conflict, and parenting stress. Although most respondents were satisfied with the child's provider, and moderately satisfied with their childcare arrangements overall and with the location of their childcare, the typical respondent was dissatisfied with the cost of childcare and neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the hours of operation. Job stress was correlated …

The Personality Of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Aubrey Immelman, Jamie Thielman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of U.S. Supreme Court associate justice Clarence Thomas, from the conceptual perspective of Theodore Millon.

Information concerning Justice Thomas was collected from biographical sources, speeches, and published reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the second edition of the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with Axis II of DSM-IV.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles manuals. Justice …

Double Dissociation Between The Effects Of Peri-Postrhinal Cortex And Hippocampal Lesions On Tests Of Object Recognition And Spatial Memory: Heterogeneity Of Function Within The Temporal Lobe., Boyer D Winters, Suzanna E Forwood, Rosemary A Cowell, Lisa M Saksida, Timothy J Bussey

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

It is widely believed that declarative memory is mediated by a medial temporal lobe memory system consisting of several distinct structures, including the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex. The strong version of this view assumes a high degree of functional homogeneity and serial organization within the medial temporal lobe, such that double dissociations between individual structures should not be possible. In the present study, we tested for a functional double dissociation between the hippocampus and peri-postrhinal cortex in a single experiment. Rats with bilateral excitotoxic lesions of either the hippocampus or peri-postrhinal cortex were assessed in tests of spatial memory (radial …

Exploring The Relationship Among Etiological Factors Related To Eating Disorders, Erin K. Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use a cross-sectional and longitudinal research design to explore the causal relationship between personality, coping, social support and eating disorder pathology. After initial data collection, participants were contacted at either an 8-month or 2-month follow-up period. Of the original 270 participants, 134 subjects completed a follow-up portion of the study (112 at 2-months and 22 at 8-months). Participants completed all measures at time 1, and completed measures of eating disorder pathology at time 2. Results from cross-sectional analyses indicated that neuroticism self-distraction and positive reframing were predictive of eating disorder pathology. Results from …

Overcoming Resistance To Change: An Analysis To The Department Of Defense's Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program, Irene C. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to investigate the impact of change on organizations, in the absence of a preparedness program and to develop strategies for overcoming resistance to change, in the midst of a proposed initiative that has become stalled as a result of mistrust and cynicism. The results of this research suggests a framework of management techniques that will offer leadership approaches to resurrecting a stalled change initiative and overcoming personnel's resistance to a proposed change project, in order for the project to be more widely accepted. A series of personal interviews and focus groups, a qualitative method …

Conduct, Learning, And Substance Use Disorders In An Adolescent Male: A Case Study, Dana F. Wales

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine best practice interventions for an individual diagnosed with Conduct, Learning, and Substance Use Disorders. Empirically supported research was evaluated and compared to normative practices of the agency where the client resided. The intervention process included a psychosocial assessment, Differential Diagnosis as well as multiple levels of intervention. Outcome measures were used to assess depression, anxiety, and coping skills. However, a lack of cooperation and follow through by the client and his family invalidated these measures. Clinical observations and staff reports indicated that the overall intervention had mixed results with this client. …

Scoring Error Of Social Avoidance And Distress Scale And Its Psychometric Implications, Stefan G. Hofmann, Patricia Marten Dibartolo, Robert M. Holaway, Richard G. Heimberg

Psychology: Faculty Publications

An error in the scoring instructions of the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD), one of the most popular instruments to measure social anxiety, is discussed.

A Case Study To Determine Best Practice Treatment For A Child Diagnosed With Asperger's Syndrome And Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Amy Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to determine the best practice model of therapy to treat a child diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The participant was an eight-year-old Caucasian male who had significant developmental delays. The Behavior Assessment System for Children was used in order to assess the progress John made in the therapeutic setting of which he had been attending. Intervention components included a psychosocial assessment, differential diagnosis, a behavior treatment plan, psychotropic medication and social skills training. A client satisfaction survey was also administered. The normative practice of the agency was compared with empirically …

Gambling-Associated Behaviors Of Adolescent Male And Female Populations, Pamela Lynnet Thomas

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify problem, at-risk, and nonproblem gamblers among adolescent male and female populations. The study compared the two sexes to discover whether or not there were differences in terms of gambling frequency, types of gambling activities, and gambling-associated behaviors that could develop into pathological gambling, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association for those identified gambling groups. The multicultural sampled population consisted of 119 male and 100 female adolescents aged 13 to 19 from rural, suburban, and urban metropolitan areas of Southeastern Michigan. The study used the South Oaks Gambling Screen- Revised for Adolescents …

Personality Disorders As Maladaptive Variants Of General Personality Traits: A Subclinical Approach, Stephanie N. Mullins-Sweatt

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Stephanie N. Mullins-Sweatt on June 4, 2004.

International Education, The Internet, And The Three Kings Experiment, Jaap Kooijman, Jude Davies, Linda Berg-Cross, Etc ...

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

The current project linked students in three universities in a guided discussion of the movie, Three Kings. The goals were to assess the viability of having students from three different courses, in three different universities, in three different countries find common ground to have intellectual discussions via the Internet and to assess how responsive students would be to answering structured questions as a stimulus for intellectual discussions. We also wanted to understand how the Three Kings was perceived by students in the United States, England, and the Netherlands. Overall, there were 19 students who contributed a total of 217 conversational …

Single Professional Women: A Global Phenomenon Challenges And Opportunities, Linda Berg-Cross, Anne-Marie Scholz, Joanne Long, Ewa Grzeszcyk, Anjali Roy

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the globalization of elite single professional women (SPW) as the first new global sociological phenomenon of the twenty-first century. We trace the economic roots of the phenomenon and how female empowerment interacts with the psychological prerequisites for mating. We then trace how the phenomenon is being expressed outside of the United States, in India, Poland, and Germany. We conclude by putting these observations into a historical perspective and briefly listing possible strategies for responding, adapting, and maximizing one’s options.

Stages Of Change In Anxiety: Psychometric Properties Of The University Of Rhode Island Change Assessment (Urica) Scale., David J A Dozois, Henny A Westra, Kerry A Collins, Tak S Fung, Jennifer K F Garry

Psychology Publications

Readiness for change is increasingly cited as an important variable in the health behaviours literature, yet there remains a dearth of research related to this construct in mental health. This study examined the psychometric properties of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) scale in two samples. In Study 1 (n = 252), undergraduates completed the URICA and were administered measures of hopelessness, the consequences of worry, self-esteem, anxious symptomatology, and social desirability. The reliability and validity of the URICA were generally supported, although the goodness-of-fit with the intended subscales was only moderate. The Precontemplation, Contemplation and Maintenance subscales …

The Effects Of On-The-Spot Observations In A Behavioral Safety Application, Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a package intervention on critical safety behaviors and conditions in a food and drinking industry setting. The intervention involved training a sub sample of employees to conduct safety observations, providing all employees with safety information, and posting weekly graphic safety feedback on six safety-related variables based on employee observations. A multiple baseline design across departments was used to assess the effects of the interventions in two dining services kitchens on the campus of a midwestem university. Overall, the intervention implemented in this study had mixed effects on safety behavior, …

Predictors Of Participation In Premarital Prevention Programs: The Health Belief Model And Social Norms, Kieran T. Sullivan, Lauri A. Pasch, Tara Cornelius, Ellen Cirigliano

Psychology

The development of effective programs to prevent marital dysfunction has been a recent focus for marital researchers, but the effective dissemination of these programs to engaged couples has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this study is to determine which factors predict couples' participation in premarital counseling. Predictive factors were derived from the health prevention literature, with a particular focus on the health belief model (HBM). Couples' beliefs and attitudes about premarital counseling were assessed at least six months before their wedding, and participation was assessed after their wedding. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of couples' participation were …

Monitoring The Effects Of Psychotropic Drugs In Students With Emotional Impairments: Home And School Data, Lynne E. Turner

Dissertations

Research has shown that schools do not typically participate in the systematic monitoring of psychotropic medications prescribed to school-aged children with emotional disorders. Conversely, research indicates that the information that is relayed to the prescribing physician from the schools consists, in general, of informal global reports regarding the student's overall behavior. Additionally, research evaluating systematic monitoring systems within schools has lacked input from the prescribing physician regarding relevant data to be collected. These findings provided impetus for the present project, which was an attempt to develop a practical system for schools to monitor possible desired and adverse effects of psychotropic …

Taiwanese Female Counselors’ Experiences Of Managing Work And Family Roles And Responsibilities, Joy Yuyin Huang

Dissertations

Mental health professionals work in emotionally demanding environments when they work with clients who have emotional problems and interpersonal conflicts. Self-care and managing family and work responsibilities are concerns of great importance for mental health professionals to maintain quality in their services. This is of special concern for Asian female counselors who play important supportive roles for their families. As a result, Asian female counselorsnot only work with clients but also assume heavy family responsibilities, yet there is a dearth of literature on this specific group (Leong, 2002; Saso, 1999; Lee, 1998).

This qualitative study using grounded theory methods explored …

Brighter Noise: Sensory Enhancement Of Perceived Loudness By Concurrent Visual Stimulation, Yoav Arieh, Eric C. Odgaard, Lawrence E. Marks

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Two experiments investigated the effect of concurrently presented light on the perceived loudness of a low-level burst of white noise. The results suggest two points. First, white noise presented with light tends to be rated as louder than noise presented alone. Second, the enhancement in loudness judgments is resistant to two experimental manipulations: varying the probability that light accompanies sound and shifting from a rating method to a forced choice comparison. Both manipulations were previously shown to eliminate a complementary noise-induced enhancement in ratings of brightness. Whereas noise-induced enhancement of brightness seems to reflect a late-stage decisional process, such as …

The Relationship Between Age And Depression : A Self-Efficacy Model, Brandyn M. Street

Master's Theses

From an applied perspective, it is useful for clinicians and researchers to know what variables are more likely to be related to depressive symptoms for some groups than for others. From the social-cognitive perspective, symptoms of depression are linked to people's beliefs that they are unable to regulate or control their own functioning. The purpose of the present study was to test social cognitive theory and its claims about self efficacy by examining whether age and sex differences in depression are a function of emotion regulation, emotional self-efficacy and response styles to depression. The results indicated that females had a …

Nutrition Education For Persons With Disabilities, Jada A. Miller

Masters Theses

This study provides descriptive information about the dietary knowledge and intake of community-based young adults who have been diagnosed with a number of disabilities. A nutrition education curriculum was implemented for the Experimental group (N=9) and at a later date for the Delayed Intervention group (N=9). Results indicated that the three-week nutrition education curriculum produced moderate improvement in participants' nutritional knowledge and moderate improvement in nutritional value of foods chosen from a menu. However, the intervention proved to have a negligible effect on the nutritional value of foods consumed within this population of individuals.

Based on the results of this …

Spousal Congruence On Disability, Pain, And Spouse Responses To Pain, Annmarie Cano, Ayna B. Johansen, Michael Geisser

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

We examined congruence between chronic pain patients and their spouses on their reports of patient pain severity, patient disability, and spouse responses to pain. Patients reported that they were more physically and psychosocially disabled than their spouses reported them to be. However, spouses reported that the patients’ pain was more severe than patients reported. Depressive disorders in the patient and gender interacted with patient–spouse ratings. For physical and psychosocial disability, depressed patient couples reported significantly larger differences in disability ratings than nondepressed patient couples. In addition, female patients’ disability was rated as more severe by the female patients than by …