Psychology Commons^™

A Comparison Of Rational Versus Empirical Methods In The Prediction Of Psychotherapy Outcome, Glen I. Spielmans

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several systems have been designed to monitor psychotherapy outcome, in which feedback is generated based on how a client's rate of progress compares to an expected level of progress. Clients who progress at a much lesser rate than the average client are referred to as signal-alarm cases. Recent studies have shown that providing feedback to therapists based on comparing their clients' progress to a set of rational, clinically derived algorithms has enhanced outcomes for clients predicted to show poor treatment outcomes. Should another method of predicting psychotherapy outcome emerge as more accurate than the rational method, this method would likely …

An Analysis Of Crisis Strategies Used By Schools In Response To Violence And Terrorism, Linda Lewis Gellert

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recurring incidents of school violence indicate the need for effective school crisis plans with unique strategies. Acts of international terrorism combined with highly sensationalized school shootings, although rare but significant, generate demands for additional measures of school safety. This study was designed to investigate the status of crisis preparedness in Indiana schools. The study attempted to determine the adequacy of school crisis plans based on state and federal recommendations for school safety. School crisis strategies and practices were assessed to determine which policies and procedures were in place. Principal experiences were explored to determine the degree of incidence for the …

Adaptation To Changing Marketplace Conditions By Psychologists In Independent Practice, Keith James Monroe

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent surveys have provided support to the frequently asserted opinion that managed care has negatively impacted psychologists in independent practice. Many recommendations have been made by professional organizations to address the negative impact and most have been directed at guiding practitioners to adapt to changes in health care delivery. However, there is little data on how private practitioners evaluate these recommendations or if they are using these strategies to adapt to the changing practice environment. The focus of this dissertation was to assess the extent that psychologists in independent practice have adopted the recommended strategies. By establishing a representative sample …

The Evaluation Of The Integration Of Sustainability In Industrial Engineering Education At Louisiana State University, Kristina Little

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Chld Care Quality On Child Outcomes Using Structural Equation Modeling, Jared Cutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The quality of a child care setting is believed by many child care researchers to have an impact on the development of children in child care. While a considerable amount of research has been done regarding the impact of child care quality on child outcomes, an examination of literature reviews on the topic reveals that there is a lack of consensus in the field on the question of whether child care quality has a substantial impact on children's development.

The present study assessed the impact child care quality has on child outcomes. A dataset from the NICHD Early Child Care …

A Manual For A Junior Lab Technician, Jared Blaine Burton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Dear New Junior Lab Technician,

Welcome to Dr. Barnard's laboratory. My name is Jared Burton, and I am currently in medical school. I wanted to write a little bit to give you a "heads-up" about what you should expect working here. I worked in this lab for three years. I picked up quite a bit of experience and research time during my employment here. It was a good, on-campus job. I thought I would write a little manual to be kept in the lab, with the hopes that some future employee will benefit from it, and not be quite as …

The Sexual Abuse Crisis In The Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists And Counselors Should Know, Thomas G. Plante, Courtney Daniels

Psychology

Recent events regarding child sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere have yet again resulted in a tremendous amount of media attention and frenzy regarding this topic. During 2002 alone, approximately 300 American Catholic priests, including several bishops, were accused of child sexual abuse. Many were forced to resign their positions while others were prosecuted and went to prison. Curiously, there still exist many myths and misperceptions about priests who sexually abuse children and their victims. Since psychologists and other mental health professionals are likely to interact with many who have been impacted …

Extraversion/Introversion And Subclinical Self-Harm In Undergraduate Students, Norma Salazar-Cortez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Objective. To examine the relationship between the extraversion/introversion personality dimension and mildly injurious (fingernail biting, skin picking, etc.) and more injurious (cutting, burning, etc.) self-harming behaviors.

Method. An undergraduate sample of 146 students volunteered to complete several measures including the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised and Self-Harm Information Form.

Results. Participants with no history of self-harm endorsed similar levels of extraversion in comparison to participants with a history of mildly or moderately injurious self-harm. Comparison between the groups using a One-Factor Between Subjects Analysis of Variance was not significant.

Conclusion. A proposition is made to expand future research …

Recognition Of Self Among Persons With Dementia: Pictures Versus Names As Environmental Supports, Jennifer Gross, Mary E. Harmon, Rebecca A. Myers, Rachel L. Evans, Natalie R. Kay, Senez Rodriguez-Charbonier, Thomas R. Herzog

Peer Reviewed Articles

The physical environment can promote the functional ability of persons with dementia. Many care facilities use environmental signage (e.g., names on doors) to facilitate adaptive behavior (e.g., room finding). However, the effects of such signage on residents’functioning are not well understood. In three experiments, we investigated if persons with moderate to severe dementia had the required skills necessary to benefit from signage. Compared to a control condition (recognition of fellow residents’ photographs), a high percentage of participants could identify written names and photographs of themselves (Experiment 1). Moreover, name and photographic labels helped participants identify belongings (Experiment 2). Training improved …

Emotions Across Cultures And Methods, Christie N. Scollon, Ed Diener, Shigehiro Oishi, Robert Biswas-Diener

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Participants included 46 European American, 33 Asian American, 91 Japanese, 160 Indian, and 80 Hispanic students (N = 416). Discrete emotions, as well as pleasant and unpleasant emotions, were assessed: (a) with global self-report measures, (b) using an experience-sampling method for 1 week, and (c) by asking participants to recall their emotions from the experience sampling week. Cultural differences emerged for nearly all measures. The inclusion of indigenous emotions in India and Japan did not alter the conclusions substantially, although pride showed a pattern across cultures that differed from the other positive emotions. In all five culturalgroupsandforbothpleasantandunpleasantemotions,globalreportsof emotionpredictedretrospective recall even …

Maternal And Paternal Attributions And Perceptions Related To Parent-Child Interactions, Angela L. W. Ehrlick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parent cognitions, including parent attributions for and perceptions of children's behaviors , are related to negative parent-child interactions and have been hypothesized to negatively affect treatment outcome in parent training studies. Specifically, parents who attribute children's disruptive behaviors to internal, stable, uncontrollable, and global causes and believe that they are not personally responsible for their children's behavior are less likely to engage in positive interactions with their children and successfully manage child behavior. Additionally, parents who expect their children to demonstrate aversive behavior and perceive their children's neutral behaviors as aversive are less likely to engage in positive interactions with …

The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Academic And Behavior Performance In Children With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Penny L. Sneddon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the relationship between noise and academic performance and behavior of children with ADHD (n = 15) and without ADHD (n = 18). Children completed math sheets under four noise conditions: no noise, standard classroom noise, classroom noise with verbalizations, and classroom noise with classical music. There were no differences in math performance between the two groups. Children with ADHD exhibited more problem behaviors than children without ADHD. Group-by-condition interactions were not significant. Significant effects were found for noise condition; children completed more math problems and had fewer inappropriate behaviors in the no-noise condition. However, there …

Roles Of Religious Orientation And Health Locus Of Control In An Aging Population, Jennifer A. Fallon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An intrinsic religious orientation has been linked to improved cardiovascular health. Individuals may be protected by their beliefs against anger/hostility, which have been linked to increased cardiovascular reactivity and disease. Health locus of control differentiates between internals, who take responsibility for health, and externals, who attribute responsibility to chance or powerful others. Internal health locus of control has been linked to healthy behaviors, but its relationship to religious orientation is unclear.

Intrinsically held religious beliefs and internally held expectancies for health may, through the mechanism of reactivity, reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. This study explored relationships among health …

School Counselors' Referral Practices Of Children With Internalizing Symptoms, Kelly Hughes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project proposed to examine school counselors' knowledge of and experiences with internalizing issues in children. The sample included all elementary and middle/secondary school counselors employed in Utah. The measure used in the present study was a questionnaire adapted from a study by Green, Clopton, and Pope. Analyses revealed that few elementary school counselors would meet with a student struggling with internalizing symptoms, but many would meet with the students' teacher(s) and parents. Overall, fewer secondary school counselors endorsed the presented responses as compared to elementary school counselors. More than half of both elementary and secondary school counselors indicated they …

Predictors Of Outcome Of Surgery For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Clayton T. Manning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wrist surgery is a common method for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) although few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of such procedures. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received surgery for CTS in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. Participants were 75 Utah workers' compensation patients who underwent surgery for CTS from 1999-2002 and were at least 6 months postsurgery at time of follow-up. A retrospective cohort design was utilized consisting of a review of presurgical medical records and a postsurgical telephone survey. …

Power Distance Perceptions In Post-Soviet Russia: Understanding The Workplace Environment, Olga Kamenchuk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The modem business economy is characterized by increased collaboration among different organizations across nation al boundaries. Post-Soviet Russia is one of the regions that is witnessing rapid economic growth and development of international business relations. Because of the challenges in intercultural communication the current study focuses on the problem of power distance, specifically in the workplace (in post-Soviet Russia).

A phenomenological perspective, based on qualitative methodology, guided this research into the meaning of power experiences for individuals. Symbolic interactionism was used as a research paradigm of the study to view humans as active participants of the workplace, who engage in …

Developmental Changes In The Structure Of Affect: Is The Tripartite Model Equally Valid For Younger And Older Children?, Bryan B. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies investigating the validity of the Tripartite model of affect in children have been supportive of the model. However, few studies have examined if older and younger children structure affect similarly. The current study used confirmatory factor analytic techniques (SEM) to test the validity of the tripartite model in two developmentally distinct populations of children (third and sixth grade). Confirmatory factor analytic methods examined one-factor, two-factor correlated, and two-factor uncorrelated models. Furthermore, the pattern of correlations between positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and dependent measures of anxiety and depression was calculated.

The results indicated the two-factor correlated and …

Pharmacological And Behavioral Treatments For Migraine Headaches: A Meta-Analytic Review, Kristi Lowe Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Migraine headache is a painful and often serious problem in the United States. There are many prophylactic pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments available for migraine headaches. However, choosing between them can be difficult for individuals and treatment providers alike. The primary literature regarding the effectiveness of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments is quite dense. More than 191 primary studies were identified as providing information about the effectiveness of one or more treatments for migraine headaches. Of these, 82 articles were retained for meta-analyses on six prophylactic treatments for migraine: propranolol, flunarizine, divalproex sodium, thermal biofeedback, relaxation treatments, and combined treatments. These results …

Changes In Child Symptomatology Associated With Animal-Assisted Therapy, Catherine C. Woolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction associated with a history of child trauma after adding animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to conventional psychotherapy for adolescents living in a residential treatment facility in northern California. Using a quasiexperimental design, participants were followed over a period of nine weeks, with both groups completing the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, an abbreviated version of the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Youth Self-Report, and residential staff completing the Youth Outcome Questionnaire at three time points. In addition, the treatment group completed state anxiety and depression assessments before …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Boatwright-Bracken Child Attention Deficit Scales: Child And Parent Versions, Erica S. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the psychometric properties of a new measure of attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms, the Boatwright-Bracken Child Attention Deficit Scale (BCADS), self- and parent-report forms. Parents and children with and without ADHD completed the BCADS to determine the reliability and validity of the BCADS. The BCADS-Child and Parent had high internal consistency reliability. The total sample parent-selfratings were moderately correlated, indicating a typical level of cross informant agreement.

Results indicate that the BCADS differentiates children with ADHD from children without ADHD. Children and parents in the clinical sample reported more symptoms of ADHD than those in the comparison sample. …

Risk Factors For Selected Health-Related Behaviors Among American Indian Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study, Amy Jo Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suicide and accidents are the leading causes of death among American Indian (AI) adolescents. Engaging in health-compromising behaviors (HCB) is higher among AI youth than among multicultural, national samples of adolescents. These HCBs include: smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, and delinquency. Studies that identify legitimate predictors of these behaviors among AI adolescents are needed to guide research and interventions.

Primary socialization theory (PST) suggests that peer groups, family, and school are the only areas where adolescents are directly taught to accept or reject deviant or normative behavior. Gateway theory indicates that use of certain drugs by adolescents, such as cigarettes …

An Analysis Of Bilingual Programs In The Context Of A Schoolwide Reading Program, Jonathan A. Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been much controversy over the effectiveness of bilingual education in helping English language learning (ELL) students to become successful students. One variable overlooked in this literature has been the use of effective instruction in these programs. This investigation compared students in a schoolwide reading program that utilizes research-based practices, Success for All (SFA) and its Spanish counterpart Éxito Para Todos (EPT). Three groups of third-grade students were compared at 8-week intervals throughout the school year: English-speaking students in SFA, ELL (English language learning) students in SFA with ESL (English as a Second Language), and ELL students in EPT. …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Children’S Development As Reflected In Their Artwork: An Investigation Of Children’S Drawings From The African Country Of Benin, Elizabeth Anna Smead

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research adds to the body of knowledge related to the human figure drawing as a useful tool in assessment and to art therapists’ understanding of children who depict the human figure in cross-cultural settings. This researcher obtained a sample collection of 148 human figure drawings from African children in rural Benin, West Africa to study in comparison to a set of human figure drawings collected under similar conditions in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

In this quantitative study, five of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) were modified and used to tally the formal elements of each of the 148 …

The Use Of Habit Reversal Training In The Treatment Of Trichotillomania: A Single Subject Design, Courtney M. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of self-monitoring and a multicomponent behavioral intervention on the treatment of Trichotillomania (TTM). The subject in this study was a 12-year-old African American female who has demonstrated hair-pulling behavior for several years. The interventions that were implemented were journaling and Habit Reversal Training (HRT). The types of measurements that were used were direct observation, daily logs, and standardized questionnaires. The standardized assessments were the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC, March, 1998) and the Trichotillomania Severity and Impairment Scales (Swedo et al., 1989). In the study, the introduction of journaling …

Demonizing Science And Industry, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the perception that leaders in science and industry seeking power or setting down confining constraints to personal behavior as well as the converse of “…following where one’s heart and soul leads.” The author continues by positing that both sets of beliefs offer similar types of mental constraints.

A Thematic Content Analysis Of National Anthems: Europe Vs. Members Of The Arab League, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The authors conduct a political psychological analysis of national anthems from European, African, and Middle Eastern nations. Their results focus on the difference between anthems of European nations and members of the Arab League, and potential reasons behind those differences.

Condoleeza Rice: History As Herstory, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the content and context of a classified briefing on Al Qaeda received by President Bush on August 6, 2001, and whether that briefing sufficed as a warning of the subsequent September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

9/11 And The Nature Of Intelligence Collection And Analysis, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses Condoleeza Rice’s April 8, 2004 testimony before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (US). The author focuses on the nature of intelligence collection and analysis, and their goal - to find actionable intelligence in response to terrorist acts.

Intelligence And Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the ramifications of the lack of epistemological underpinnings from which the rightness or wrongness regarding WMD in Iraq can be constructed and adjudicated.

Aiding At-Risk Students, Jeremy Baldwin

Honors Theses

Kalamazoo's Loy Norrix High School was the location of a study in conjunction with the institution's school-wide achievement process to aid at-risk students. Characterized by poor attendance, behavioral problems and/or failing two or more subjects, at-risk students are monitored more closely through school-wide efforts. According to the Michigan Department of Education, the effort to hep struggling students implicates the use of supplemental services before or after school to help students in the core subjects: math, science, social studies, and English. Norrix has successfully begun its own efforts to improve the overall academic success of the student body by employing the …